The King of Morocco, His Royal Highness Mohammed VI, opened the 107th Inter-Parliamentary Conference which is being held in the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, in the presence of Mr Ruud LubbeLubbers (Netherlands), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, representing the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Abdelwahed Radi, President of the House of Representatives of Morocco, Mrs Najma Heptulla (India), President of the IPU Council, and Mr Anders B. Johnsson (Sweden), Secretary General of the IPU.
The King stated that "the mere fact that representatives of peoples from different continents, countries and cultural backgrounds are convening in an age-old Arab-Islamic country, holds a significant message, namely that the world is witnessing a showdown between ignorance and foolishness, not a clash between civilizations. Yet, the most compelling feature of the world is rather the civilizational interaction which is at work and which this fruitful dialogue of yours can only serve to promote".
The King of Morocco also referred to the current situation in the Middle East. "As is always the case in any difficult juncture, hope ends up arising from despair. The logical sequence of history confirms that the cycle of violence and counter-violence is not an inescapable fate, because the will to build peace, justice and security is bound to prevail, especially in a region which is the cradle of religions and where the brotherly Palestinian people have the right to establish their independent State, with Al Quds Al-Shareef as its capital, as a symbol of coexistence, integration and brotherliness among all the peoples and religions in the Middle East region".
HRH Mohamed VI also paid tribute to the Inter-Parliamentary Union "for its eagerness to encourage developing countries, particularly African nations, to achieve sustainable development and to curb the adverse effects of heavy indebtedness and the logic of commercial globalization...".
In his inaugural speech, Mr Abdelwahed Radi, President of Morocco’s House of Representatives, recalled the objectives of the 107th Inter-Parliamentary Conference.
" ...The Conference will be dealing with a number of highly important issues, relating to different fields –political, economic, and social. More specifically, it will focus on the role of parliaments in defining public policies, in an age of globalization and multilateral parties, notably as regards international trading agreements; the deterioration of the global environment and Parliamentary support for the Kyoto Protocol; the political, economic, and social situation in the world; the problems of the Middle East—especially in view of the present explosive situation, arising from the non-implementation of the relevant international resolutions—the worst forms of child labour and the legal and social measures that need to be taken in order to combat it; the issues of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean –a region particularly in need of stability and peace, in view of the magnitude of the problems confronting it—the issues bearing on the situation of women, their demands, and their participation in the political life of their countries; questions relating to the reform and the improvement of the structure and work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; as well as other issues which are on the agenda of our conference".
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Ruud Lubbers, read a message from the United Nations Secretary-General. "You meet on the eve of the Monterrey Conference, which aims to mobilise the resources so desperately needed for development. You gather as we seek to build on the decisions taken by the World Trade Organization last year at Doha, so that men and women in the developing world can compete on fair terms in the global market. And you come together as we look ahead to the Johannesburg Summit to restore momentum to the global quest for sustainable development. Parliamentarians are well placed to advance this entire agenda, and I hope you will do so – for example by committing funds, promoting investment, opening markets, removing unfair subsidies, and putting in place the policies and incentives that will encourage actions that are truly sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally. In our collective efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, your unique powers – including the power of the purse – can make a real difference".
The UN Secretary-General’s message continued by saying that parliamentarians also have a role to play in the fight against terrorism. He referred to Security Council Resolution 1373 that was adopted shortly after the terrorist attacks against the United States of 11 September. " ... Parliamentarians will be responsible for enacting the legislation to give force to this resolution on the national level" he said.
The United Nations Secretary-General concluded by drawing attention to the cooperation between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations. "I recommend that the General Assembly grant the IPU observer status. The majority of Member States share my views on this question and I hope that when the Assembly considers the matter, it will codify our relationship and usher in a new era in our already long-standing cooperation".
Speaking in his capacity as High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Lubbers commented that in the current climate there was a risk that refugees and asylum seekers might become convenient scapegoats. "We must not allow this to happen. I count on the support of parliamentarians across the world in fighting xenophobia and intolerance in our societies, and in ensuring that refugees and asylum seekers receive the protection and assistance that they deserve".
Mrs Najma Heptulla, President of the IPU Council, who is also Deputy Chairman of the Upper Chamber of the Indian Parliament, recalled that, in April 2000, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, at its first Conference of the Millennium, had decided to promote dialogue among civilizations. "We realized that a sustained dialogue among cultures could ensure a durable peace. Alas ! The hatred and bigotry of terrorist networks have contradicted our endeavours to create a collective consensus on the critical global issues as envisioned in the Millennium Declaration", she said.
The President of the IPU Council added that "terrorism is essentially against democracy. It targets the heart of democracy, the parliaments. It subverts the freedom of opinion and its legitimate expression. It imposes regimentation in human imagination in strict accordance with dogma". She also referred to the "recent abduction of two Colombian parliamentarians which has further highlighted the serious consequences of this challenge to global polity."
Mrs Heptulla also mentioned to the 672 parliamentarians from 130 countries who were present in Marrakech, the need to extend parliamentary supervision and intervention to the field of international cooperation. "This was also recognized in the Declaration adopted at the Millennium Session of the UN. The growing cooperation between IPU and the UN system testifies to the significant role parliaments can play in any policy dialogue".
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