Bernard JACQUETIN

Chairman
I.C.S.-I.U.G.A. 2004
The President's Welcome Address

Thanks to the unified efforts of the I.C.S and I.U.G.A executive committees,
I have the pleasure and honour of presiding over this very exciting joint
meeting!

Out of respect for tradition, the congress will be preceded by two days of
courses and workshops of great quality and diversity.

This year we propose two additions to the plenary sessions: a debate on
today’s hot topics will complement each of the three “State of the Arts”, and the
mornings will begin with a highlight session. Of course, the free papers,
resulting from undoubtedly more than a thousand proposals, will be very
carefully selected by a high-level Scientific Committee.

However, we also wish to mark this Paris meeting with something momentous:
all the attendees will be invited to a welcome cocktail held in a very special
location – “Les Pavillons de Bercy”. Given that France is hosting our congress
in August 2004, the Gala night could not be held anywhere other than at the
Château de Versailles!

Our sponsors and our exhibitors are of course equally the craftsmen of this
great success and I highly thank them.

I am counting on you to make this congress a great event. All of you are
awaited at Paris’ Palais des Congrès.