On 12 and 13 May the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is holding a meeting in Amman (Jordan) of Speakers of Parliaments of the countries neighbouring Iraq to discuss ways for the parliamentary community to support the building of democratic institutions in Iraq. The meeting is the outoutcome of various resolutions emerging from recent IPU meetings.

Hosted by the President of the House of Representatives of Jordan, Mr. Abdulhadi Majali, the meeting will be chaired by the IPU President, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez. The Speakers of Parliaments of the following countries have confirmed their attendance : Bahrain, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey.

Mr. Ross Mountain, acting Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Iraq, and Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, the IPU Secretary General, will also be present.

---

Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 140 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has an office as Permanent Observer with the United Nations in New York.
Other press releases	More information

---

Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org