The delegates of the 115 parliaments meeting in Santiago until 12 April at the Diego Portales Convention Centre have adopted a resolution, by consensus, on the need to put an urgent end to the war in Iraq and to re-establish peace: the role of the United Nations (UN) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The resolution emphasises the importance of "international law, and especially the Charter of the United Nations."

The parliamentarians reaffirmed the fundamental importance of multilateralism and international co-operation in solving conflicts between States, and therefore the war in Iraq, and called on all States to co-operate fully with the United Nations and its Specialised Agencies. It also appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Iraq.

The parliamentarians appealed to the United Nations Security Council to lift the sanctions against Iraq as soon as possible so as to restore the necessary economic conditions for the survival of the population and the country's development.

The resolution highlighted the right of the people of Iraq to determine their own political future and to control their natural resources.

It also emphasised that "it is for the Iraqi people to choose their own political institutions. The Inter-Parliamentary Union stands ready to put its expertise at the service of these choices."

The 108th Inter-Parliamentary Conference affirmed "its adherence to the principle of maintaining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of Iraq". It also underlined the importance of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and religious, ethnic and cultural diversity in the territory of Iraq at all times.

It affirmed that "the United Nations must assume a leading role in the post-war period, including in the reconstruction process, and stressed that this process should not be carried out by using Iraq's wealth or depleting its natural resources." It also urged the United Nations "to assume a monitoring role with regard to the full withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq and to facilitate the restoration of peace, law and order".

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 145 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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Contacts:

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, 919 41 97 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org