Bermudian politicians were in London yesterday for the beginning of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference which was opened by the Queen. The delegation previously spent three days in Channel Island of Jersey for the Small Countries Conference, attended by 36 countries and territories.

In Jersey, they discussed the knowledge economy, green tourism, encouraging local culture, and the representation of dependent territories within the Commonwealth. Delegation leader Ottiwell Simmons, the Government Whip, told The Royal Gazette from London: "All of us are of the opinion that the conference will have some benefit to Bermuda in the short-term.'' The other delegation members are Progressive Labour Party MP Randy Horton and Indepdendent Senator Walwyn Hughes.

Senate President Alf Oughton, Speaker of the House of Assembly Stanley Lowe, and Clerk to the House Muriel Roach have been sent as observers. The conference, which ends on September 29, is being held in the Houses of Parliament in London and in Edinburgh.

The topics covered include information technology, poverty reduction, whether to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, environmental degradation, relations with the media, the role of women, and HIV/AIDS.