Algeria voices backing for Syria, Lebanon
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria has pronounced Algeria's backing for a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan and from south Lebanon and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state with Jerusalem as a capital.
In an inaugural speech at the 9th conference of the Arab Parliamentary Union, held in Algiers, President Bouteflika stressed the deep commitment of the Algerian people to national reconciliation and the need to unify Arab ranks.
He recalled the special conditions through which the Arab states pass, a matter which makes it imperative to achieve pan-Arab reconciliation reinforced by solid cooperation in all walks of life.
He called on the Arab states to maintain an effective Arab solidarity in confrontation of current challenges. President Bouteflika also called for unifying Arab ranks against the current developments in the Middle East, establishing a common Arab market and achieving the idea of a united Arab parliament.
Earlier, the Algerian president opened the 9th conference of the Arab Parliamentary Union. The conferees are to discuss reports on making amendments to the union's charter and its internal regulations and other related issues.
The participants at the conference are delegations of the APU member states, a Saudi delegation acting as an observer, and representatives of the Arab League and the African Parliamentary Union.
