Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum opens in Brussels
Regional, Politics, 10/28/1998

The constituent session of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum started proceedings here on Tuesday with the participation of Mps from the 27 Euro-Mediterranean partner countries.

Opening the session, vice-chairman of the European Commission in charge of relations with South Mediterranean countries, Manuel Marin, underlined the importance of parliamentary dialogue as an opportunity to foster political contacts between the elected institutions of the European union and the Mediterranean partners.

Parliamentary dialogue paves the way to political dialogue, mainly on issues related to security and democracy in the region, Marin said, adding that this forum comes to complete the various meetings held at the level of representatives of governments, the civil society and economic operators.

Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives (lower house), Abdelouahed Radi who has been elected co-chairman of the constituent session of the forum, pledged to "militate for the setting up of a Mediterranean community bound by firm ties in the political, economic, social and cultural realms," and to consolidate "the ties of friendship and brotherhood" within this community.

Radi also spoke of the middle east peace process describing the Wye Plantation Palestinian-Israeli accords signed last week as a major event for the future of the mediterranean.

The signing of these accords is of good omen for the carrying on of the peace process and the implementation of the Oslo accords, Radi said. He said efforts must be carried on "to guarantee the Palestinian people's rights and to enable the Israeli people live in neighborliness with arab countries."

A comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace will open perspectives for all the concerned peoples and for all the Mediterranean peoples, Radi said.

Echoing him, speaker of the Moroccan chamber of Advisors (upper house), Jalal Essaid, also stressed the need to restore the palestinian people's legitimate rights, including the right to establish an independent state with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.

He equally called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and from the Syrian Golan Heights.

Essaid also spoke of cooperation between the two banks of the Mediterranean saying this cooperation must take into account the socio-economic situation of the Southern Mediterranean countries and must target complementarity and economic balance.

Jalal Essaid called for lifting the embargo imposed on Libya which expressed, he said, determination to cooperate in the settlement of the Lockerbie issue. He also stressed the need to associate Libya in the Mediterranean process, launched in Barcelona.

Libya is represented for the first time in the brussels Euro-Mediterranean conference.

Several delegates who took the floor during the Tuesday session have called that Libya be associated in the Euro-Mediterranean process.

The decision to set up the parliamentary forum was made in Strasbourg in March 1997. The forum session is to wind up this Wednesday.

Previous Stories:
  Speaker of Moroccan Parliament to co-chair first Euro-Mediterranean forum   (10/27/1998)
  Europe to share single market experience with Mediterranean countries   (9/24/1998)
  Mediterranean parliament leaders call for clearing region of nuclear weapons   (9/21/1998)

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