Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 7 June 2001
N° 118

After receiving a preliminary report on the mission of the Committee on Middle East Questions of the Inter-Parliamentary (IPU) to Jordan, Israel and the territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority, the President of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla, recalled the invitation made by the IPU to the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Avraham Burg, and the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Mr. Ahmed Qurei "Abu Ala" to meet at their earliest convenience, under the auspices of the IPU.

"The IPU stands ready to pursue its actions in order to continue to facilitate this resumption of the dialogue between political representatives with a view to an improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian people and of the security of Israel", stressed Dr. Heptulla, who welcomed the fact the Speakers of the Knesset and the PLC have accepted to meet under the auspices of the IPU. "Other direct contacts between MPs from both sides should also take place. The Committee demands that measures be taken to enable the PLC to meet and carry out its mandate", insisted the President of the IPU Council.

The delegation of the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions, headed by the French MP, Mr. Yves Tavernier, was composed of Mr. M. Raymond Ahaouandjinou (Benin), Mr. Andreas Philippou (Cyprus, Rapporteur) and Mrs. Oddbjorg Ausdal Starrfelt (Norway). The mission took place from 2 to 6 June 2001 and included meetings in Amman, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and Gaza. The IPU Committee met with Mr. Abdulhadi Majali, the Speaker of the Jordanian National Assembly, Mr. Zaid Al Rifai, President of the Jordanian Senate, Mr. Saleem Al Zahnoun, the Speaker of the Palestine National Council (PNC), Mr. Ahmed Qurei, "Abu Ala", the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Mr. Avraham Burg, the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Shimon Peres, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Mr. Yasser Arafat, the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Meir Sheetrit, the Israeli Minister of Justice, and numerous other Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian political and parliamentary officials.

During its mission, the IPU Committee invited the Israelis and the Palestinians to immediately implement all the recommendations of the Mitchell Report and notably those related to the cessation of all violence against civilian populations. As called for in the Mitchell Report, the Committee insisted on a freeze on all settlements in the occupied territories.

Founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, the IPU currently has 141 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. It also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York