Parliamentarians from 122 national parliaments meeting in Mexico City until 23 April for the 110th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly have decided to debate an emergency item on "The role of parliaments in stopping acts of violence, and the building of the separation wall, in order to create conditions conducive to peace and a lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict".

The proposal, submitted by the delegations of Lebanon and Indonesia and supported by the Arab Group was put to a vote. It received 810 votes for, 252 against and 223 abstentions. A second proposal on "The role of parliamentarians in the fight against terrorism. Promoting a peaceful dialogue among cultures and civilisations" was submitted by the delegations of Germany and Spain and was supported by the Twelve Plus Group and the Latin American Group. Also put to a vote, it received 732 votes for, 364 against and 186 abstentions.

A proposal submitted by the Mexican delegation on "The role of parliamentarians and the IPU in promoting international law and compliance with the resolutions of international organisations" could not be considered by the Assembly. However, the Secretary General of the IPU, Anders B. Johnsson, explained that IPU had a very clear position "in support of international law and opposed to the death penalty".

Over the course of the week, the lawmakers meeting at the Convention Centre of the Sheraton Centro Histórico Hotel will be debating three other themes, notably the role of parliaments in promoting international reconciliation in post-conflict situations. They will also be focusing on trade in agricultural products and access to basic medicines, and the need to further parliamentary democracy in order to protect human rights and encourage reconciliation among peoples and nations.

The President of the Mexican Senate, Enrique Jackson, was elected President of the 110th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

On another note, IPU has reaffiliated the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the National Transitional Legislative Assembly of Liberia.

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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.
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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	Mexican Group: Press service of the 110th Assembly Mr. René Hernández Tel. +52 55 51 30 22 00 E-mail: chavez.prensa@senado.gob.mx or comunicacionsocial2@senado.gob.mx
See programme of the 110th Assembly