Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Valetta, 21 January 2001
N° 108

The Ad Hoc Committee of the CSCM (Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean) set up by the Inter-Parliamentary Union met in Valetta, Malta, on 19 and 20 January 2001, at the invitation of the House of Representatives of Malta. The Committee was established to consider the practical arrangements for pursuing the CSCM Process within the IPU and the creation, in the long run, of a parliamentary assembly of Mediterranean States.

All the members of the Committee - which is formed of parliamentarians of Algeria, Egypt, Italy, France, Malta, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, and a representative of the Mediterranean Women Parliamentarians Task Force recently set up within the IPU - took part in the session that was held under the chairmanship of Mr A. Tabone, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta.

Participants unanimously reiterated their commitment to the idea of establishing, in the long run, a regional forum for parliamentary dialogue, and engaged in detailed discussions on the possible characteristics of the future assembly. The Committee noted that the increased number of parliamentary fora for dialogue on the Mediterranean was an expression of the vitality of the process; it showed that the need for an inter-parliamentary forum for dialogue and cooperation for the region was widely felt. The Committee was conscious, however, that to move from a process of consultation to a parliamentary assembly proper would represent a major change in the nature of the exercise.

The Committee underlined that, for any such regional parliamentary forum to take root, a fair and lasting peace in the region was paramount, especially in the Middle East. It thus urged all parties concerned to spare no efforts to reach fair and equitable peace and lasting security in the region. The Committee was confident that, like the CSCM Process which has seen considerable development over the last decade, the assembly would, in the long run, be set up. It was also convinced that its action would contribute to peace and security in the Mediterranean Basin.

The Committee considered that the future parliamentary assembly of Mediterranean States should be established by building on what had been achieved during the last decade, both within the Inter-Parliamentary Union and outside it. They felt that the assembly should serve to maintain and strengthen the momentum that was created by the processes referred to above and thus reinforce the political dialogue among States represented within it.

The Committee asked the IPU Secretary General to prepare a report for study at its next session to be held in early April. The Committee is due to report to the parties to the CSCM Process at their forthcoming plenary session to be held on the occasion of IPU Statutory Meetings in Havana from 1 to 7 April 2001.

Founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, the IPU is the organisation of the world’s parliaments. It currently has 140 member national parliaments and five regional parliamentary organisations with associate member status. It also has a Liaison Bureau with the UN in New York.