| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Arab parliament is proof of Arab leaders' belief in democracy -- Al-Saqer |
| 2007-10-29 |
| Chairman of Arab Interim Parliament (AIP) Mohammad Jassem Al-Saqer said this parliament was proof of Arab leaders' belief and conviction in democracy and public participation in decision making. Addressing AIP's second ordinary session which kicked off on Sunday at the headquarters of Egypt People's Assembly (EPA), Al-Saqer said the support of Arab leaders and public confidence were cornerstones for AIP's success. AIP realizes that its success is based on regaining the trust of Arab citizens in joint Arab efforts, boosting democracy through practical means, as well as overall reform in all relevant sectors, he explained. Achieving integration among Arab nations will speed their development and build a powerful economy that enjoys independence from all foreign influence, said Al-Saqer who noted that this integration requires cooperation between oil-producing nations and qualified workforce from highly-populated countries. He said establishing an independent Palestinian state will rid the region of terrorism and the international community must adopt a fair policy without any double-standards to settle this issue. On his part, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa lauded the national role assumed by AIP through tackling various Arab issues in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia. In an address delivered by the league's Assistant Secretary-General for Palestinian Affairs Mohammad Sobeih, Moussa hoped AIP would meet Arab expectations through boosting development, reform and democracy. This session, he added, is held during unprecedented challenges in the Middle East and Arab world with Palestine's situation and Arab-Israeli struggle taking the lead. Arab nations hailed the initiative of US President George W. Bush to hold an international peace forum and a unified Arab stance was formulated to fully settle all relevant matters in accordance with a timetable, he said. Moussa expressed concern over Israel's overall stance toward the peace process, such as statements by Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzip Livni that peace with Palestinians would take 20-30 years and that Arabs had to either lower their expectation or accept Israel's offer of commencing normalizing ties without any progress in the peace process. As for EPA's Speaker Dr. Ahmad Fathi Surour, he said Iraq's current situation was a serious turning point for the Arab world, as well as regional and international ties. He warned that Iraq has become a battleground for all types of war between personal interests that do not serve that nation or the region. He criticized the US Congress decision to divide Iraq into three sectarian and racial parts, adding that such a step contradicted international laws, as well as Iraq's sovereignty and independence. During the past two days, AIP's permanent committees held meetings at the league's headquarters to prepare reports of matters that will be discussed today and tomorrow, such as the US Congress decision, Sudanese immigrants, water shortage in the Arab world, climate change, as well as regional nuclear issues. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #1 I fondly remember the election. One dictator, one vote. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-10-29 12:05 |