IPU READY TO ORGANISE A MEETING BETWEEN SPEAKERS OF KNESSET AND PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is ready to organize a meeting between the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Avraham Burg, and the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Mr. Ahmed Qoreï "Abu Ala", under the auspices of the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions, chaired by the French MP, Mr. Yves Tavernier.
In a letter sent today to both Speakers, the President of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla, and the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, stressed that a political dialogue at the highest level between the Israelis and Palestinians is today more necessary than ever. The IPU reiterates its commitment to facilitating this dialogue and recalled that the Committee on Middle East Questions has sought to promote such dialogue between the representatives elected by the people of the two sides over the last years. To this effect, it held a meeting at the National Assembly in Paris in June last year, and then visited the region. On that occasion, the Committee recommended that, under the auspices of the IPU, Speaker Burg and Speaker "Abu Ala" meet to pursue this dialogue.
A letter was also sent to Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of the Egyptian People’s Assembly - who is organizing a meeting of the Bureau of the Conference of the Parliaments of the Euro-Mediterranean region in Cairo at the end of this week - to reiterate IPU’s readiness to implement this recommendation.
During its 107th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, which took place in Marrakech three weeks ago, the MPs present in Marrakech called on Israelis and Palestinians "to introduce a logic of peace to replace the logic of war, violence and terror, by resuming political negotiations for a common future", and to cooperate in the implementation of the Mitchel Plan and the Tennet Outlines. They welcomed the contribution of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to achieving peace and stability in the region and supported the various parliamentary and inter-parliamentary peace initiatives, among them the meetings organised by the Speaker of the French National Assembly, Mr. Raymond Forni, in Paris and in Marrakech on the 18th March 2002, between an Israeli and a Palestinian delegation.
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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 142 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.
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