A delegation from the Knesset and a delegation from the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) are to meet in Geneva on Thursday 17 July 2003, at the invitation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Swiss Inter-Parliamentary Group, in cooperation with the "Manifesto - Movement for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East" and with the support of the Geneva authorities. The meeting will take place at the House of Parliaments, the new IPU Headquarters.
The Knesset delegation will be composed of the following MPs : Mr. Avraham Burg, Mr. Avshalom Vilan, Mr. Reshef Chayne and Mr. Majalli Whbee.
The PLC delegation will comprise Mr. Mohammed A. M. Hoorani, Mr. Abdelkhader, I. F. Hamed, Mr. Ibrahim I.A. Elhabbash and Mr. Jawad K.H. Tibi.
The items on the agenda will be "The role of the Knesset and the PLC in facilitating tension reduction and the search for peace" and "What do the Knesset and the PLC expect from each other ?", as well as "Concrete mutual confidence-building measures".
The moderator of the meeting will be Mr. Finn Martin Vallersnes, member of the Norwegian Parliament and President of the IPU's Committee on Middle East Questions. He will be accompanied by three other Committee members : Mrs. Maryse Bergé-Lavigne (France), Mrs. Pensak Chagsuchinda (Thaïland) and Mr. Takis Hadjigeorgiou (Cyprus). The IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders. B. Johnsson, as well as the Swiss MP, Mr. Paul Günter, President of the IPU Swiss Group, will also be present.
The meeting is part of the IPU's endeavours to encourage the dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian MPs, which it has been pursuing this since 1987 within the framework of its Committee on Middle East Questions.
A press conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the premises of the House of Parliaments (5, ch. du Pommier, Grand-Saconnex, Geneva).
The delegations of the Knesset and the PLC will also discuss with the leaders of the "Manifesto - Movement for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East".
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