President Casini went on an official mission to the Middle East at the end of January, when a freak snowstorm brought much of the region to a standstill.

On January 28, one day after the 63rd anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, he delivered a speech in the Knesset to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. During his stay in Jerusalem, he held talks with the Speaker of the Knesset, Ms. Dalia Itzik, and leaders of the political factions, before meeting President Perez, Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni. The talks centered on the political situation in the region and prospects for peace, the crisis in Gaza, and codes and standards for parliamentary elections. The mission also raised the question of the PLC parliamentarians who were detained in Israeli jails.

Wishing to gain first-hand information about the difficulties facing the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Mr. Casini travelled to the PLC headquarters in Ramallah, where he held a lively exchange of views with a group of parliamentarians, focusing on the representation of Palestine in the IPU. Later in the day he met with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

The IPU Secretary General joined the President during his visit to Jerusalem and Ramallah after making a stop in Amman, where he met with the Speaker and other members of the Palestinian National Council for discussions about their membership status at the IPU. He also held several meetings in Ramallah with the PLC members and the Secretary General of the parliament.

OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE

FRENCH VERSIONMAIN PAGE OF THIS ISSUEARCHIVE OF PAST ISSUES