The Spanish Government, the Regional Government of Madrid and the Town Hall of Madrid sign a cooperation agreement with the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security

• The Summit will take place in Madrid from March 8th – 11th
• The Summit will bring together current and former Heads of State and Government, experts and citizens for a global debate on how to confront terrorism

Madrid, February 1st, 2005. The Spanish Government, the Regional Government of Madrid and the Town Hall of Madrid have today signed a cooperation agreement with the Club of Madrid for the staging of an International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security. The event will take place in Madrid, Spain from March 8th until March 11th, 2005, and will coincide with the first anniversary of the Madrid terrorist bombings. Through this agreement, all levels of Spanish government are reaffirming their desire to use this Summit as a symbol of their commitment to combat terrorism and their support of its victims. The Madrid Summit will bring together a broad base of participants whose experience and expertise will translate the ideas from the Summit into a plan of action. The objective is to provide an international forum to discuss pragmatic strategies, comparative learning and forward-looking action. The Summit will be attended by:

• Heads of State and Government
• The Members of the Club of Madrid
• Key policymakers
• Leading scholars
• Heads of international and non-governmental organisations
• Business and religious leaders
• Outstanding intellectuals, artists and journalists

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos; the President of Madrid’s Autonomous Government, Esperanza Aguirre; the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón and the President of the Club of Madrid, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The International Summit, organised by the Club of Madrid and the Varsavsky Foundation, is a non-partisan event, which aims to unite all democratic forces from across the political spectrum in developing a comprehensive democratic response to the threat of terrorism. As well, citizens worldwide can participate in the Summit debate via the web page www.safe-democracy.org. The Summit will conclude with the presentation of the Madrid Agenda, a set of guidelines aimed at shaping democratic responses to terrorism.

Additional Information

About the Club of Madrid

The Club of Madrid is an independent organization whose purpose and priority is to contribute to strengthening democracy in the world. It stimulates, promotes and conducts initiatives and activities and participates in projects seeking this objective. The Club of Madrid acts as a consultative body for governments, democratic leaders, and institutions involved in processes of democratic transition. The personal and practical experience of its members - 55 former heads of state and government - in processes of democratic transition and consolidation is the Club of Madrid’s unique resource. Along with the experience and cooperation of other high level political practitioners and governance experts, this resource is a working tool to convert ideas into practical and feasible recommendations and action plans for implementation. The President of the Club of Madrid is Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil. The Secretary General is Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada. www.clubmadrid.org

About The Varsavsky Foundation

The Varsavsky Foundation is a private and independent organization dedicated to broadening access to and improving education around the world. The foundation brings experience and extensive knowledge to the inner and outer workings of major collaborative events and proven capacity to manage and operate Internet and other technologies for massive content dissemination. www.varsavskyfoundation.org

For information go to:
www.safe-democracy.org

Andrew Hazell or Misha Mills
Tlf: + 34 91 131 95 70
+44 7810 647 400
e-mail:misha@safe-democracy.org;
hazell@safe-democracy.org

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