Letter from Werner Knauss to Members

Dear Members of the Group Analytic Society International!

At the AGM yesterday my term as a MC member has ended. I thank you all for your trust. I wish the newcomers to the Management Committee all the best! I am grateful to my colleagues, those who are staying and those who are leaving for their cooperation.

I started with the aim to bring political reflections into the work of the MC. I immediately realized that the already invited speaker for the opening lecture at the Belgrade Symposium had to be changed, because he was an Ex ambassador to Turkey of the Milosovic regime and a Sebrenica denier. After long discussions the MC and the Local Organizing Committee agreed to change him and invite instead a famous cultural and democratic lecturer.

During my Presidency (1999-2002) The Institute of Group Analysis in London (now IGA-UK ) and The Group-Analytic Society (London)(now GASI) separated on an organizational level: separate offices and accounts. The that time Hon. Treasurers of IGA (Adele Mittwoch) and GAS (Christopher Rance) agreed that the Library Room at 1 Daleham Gardens, Ground Floor, could be used free of charge including kitchen and toilets by GAS(London) (now GASI ) for its meetings. This last year, Kevin Power and I started reviewing the agreement about the library and discussions with IGA-UK are still in progress.

I wish to GASI a creative, democratic and scientific development in theory and practice and good cooperation with EGATIN and local group analytic institutes and societies as well as good networks with international group psychotherapy associations.

Warm wishes,

Werner