MWC Special,

Can The Arab Parliamentarians Solve The Complicated Topics Of The Arab World?
AMMAN_ MWCNews-By: SALEH ZAITOON*

22 arab delegations representing member groups of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) started on Monday thier two-day event of 12th biannual conference in the Dead sea the lowest point on the earth.

The IPU assembly is scheduled to discuss several topics tabled for discussion during the conference but the priority for the most four hot topics including the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad published by a Danish newspaper, which sparked worldwide anger.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) assembly, which met yesterday to thrash out the agenda of the 12th biannual conference that begins today at the Dead Sea, Kuwaiti Parliament Speaker Jasem Khurafi said he hoped the international community would respond positively to the Arab initiative .

Khurafi said Arab parliamentary groups were currently coordinating among themselves in order to drum up international support for the move .

Among many subjects up for discussion, parliamentarians will focus on the Arab parliamentary experience in the light of the current developments in Iraq especially after the mosques war between Sunnah and Shiiah .

Meanwhile the Islamic Action Front (IAF) and the Professional Associations Council (PAC) on Saturday appealed for Iraqis to practise self-restraint in the wake of sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis that has left hundreds killed and wounded .

The two Jordanian groups called on Iraqis to unify their efforts against the American occupation and accused the United States of “conspiring to divide Iraq .”

They described a recent spate of attacks against Shiite and Sunni mosques and imams as “reckless and criminal

The Palestine issue still occupied the top of interesting in AIPU meeting especially after Hamas winning in the election last month.

For the first time members of Hamas entered Jordan to attend the meeting after 6 years of Jordanian boycotting since Abdu-Rauf Rawabdah the former prime minister exiled the leaders of Hamas to Qatar despite the urge ofJordanian Moslem Brothers to stop that action.

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar headed the Hamas members within the Palestinian delegation but the official Jordanian spokesman Nasser Jodeh denied that Jordan reties the relationship with Hamas but it's under consedaration.

An unofficial source told MWCNews that Khaled Mashaal will visit Jordan in the end of his tour in the Arab world .

Earlier Jordan'sLower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali met Hamas delegation to APU 12th conference and discuused the brotherly and historical ties linking the Jordanian and Palestinian peoples. Talks during the meeting stressed the necessity to respect the Palestinian people's choices, Majali said in a statement to Petra news agency following the meeting.

" We also affirmed King Abdullah II's continued support to the Palestinian people," Majali said. " We also made it clear to Hamas delegation that peace has become a strategic option and Hamas should head to this option," he added.

He said the delegation led Mahmoud Azzhar affirmed the historical and brotherly ties between Jordan and Palestine and that these relations should not be harmed. The delegation considered Jordan's security a nationalist necessity and a priority in Hamas policy and they looked forward to building historical ties with Jordan

The fourth hot topic to take in the meeting is the Lebanon's delimma and thr relationship with Syria.

Nabih Barry the head of the Lebanese delegation met the Jordanian king Abdullah II who hoped to solve that dellima.

King AbdullahII also received the Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa. who reviewed key issues on upcoming Arab Summit's agenda scheduled in Khartoum. "This summit comes in an extraordinary and critical circumstances,"

 King Abdullah underscored, noting to the importance of high level participation in upcoming summit to ensure the summit will come out with resolutions that serve the interest of Arab nation and help activate Arab joint action. on Iraqi issue, King Abdullah stressed that the political process and efforts seek to restore security and stability in Iraq should be supported by the Arab countries to thwart the success of sectarian plots conspired against Iraqi people.

Mussa briefed on Arab League's efforts seek to hold a meeting that will group all Iraqi political leaderships scheduled in Baghdad next June with a view to achieve reconciliation among various Iraqi groups. In a related context

A number of heads of Arab parliamentary delegations outlined in press statements the regional situations and Hamas winning of Palestinian elections and the issue of insulting Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri criticized the slow motion of the democratic process in the Arab countries, stressing that the Arab world should follow the democratic march before its being imposed from outside.

For his part, Speaker of the Kuwaiti Parliament Jasim Khurafi said that the Arab group at the International Parliamentary Union will push to issue legislation that prohibits insulting all heavenly religions, expressing hope of a good response from countries of the world.

Khurafi pointed that participants in the conference agreed to put the headquarters of the Arab Parliament in Damascus as its is for the Arab Parliamentary Union with a view to coordinate stands between the union and the parliament.

Head of the Palestinian National Council Saleem Za'noun said that the Palestinian delegation will try to sue out an Arab resolution to provide financial support for the Palestinian National Authority PNA, to compensate the lack of international support after Hamas won the elections.

The AIPU's members will also discuss election processes, the right to candidature for parliament, the principle of separation of powers and its effect on democratic practice, water and its strategic role in the Arab world, human rights and the rights of the disabled in Arab countries, among other topics.

The Damascus-based Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) was established in 1974 with the aim of strengthening contacts and promoting dialogue among Arab parliaments and parliamentarians.

In the meantime, the AIPU agreed to hand its presidency for the next two years to Jordan'sLower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali .

The working plan stipulates that Arab parliamentary union to participate in all regional and int'l parliamentary activities and highlight civilized stand for Arab countries, particularly the aggressive campaign against Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Union council has agreed to build a permanent Headquarter for Arab parliamentary union in Damascus

Other objectives include working to enhance democratic concepts and values in Arab countries, the coordination and unification of legislation in Arab countries and consolidating cooperation among peoples of the world for the establishment of peace based on justice.

SALEH ZAITOON is the Chief of the MWCNews Bureau in the middle east and he is working also as CEO of Arab Business Channel transmitted via Nilesat.

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