Speakers of Moroccan, European parliaments summon extraordinary meeting of Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum

Speakers of the European Parliament and of the Moroccan House of Representatives, Ms Nicole Fontaine and Abdelouahed Radi, have summoned an extraordinary meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary forum to discuss inter-cultural dialogue and tolerance.

The two speakers and co-chairmen of the forum called the European and Mediterranean MPs to convene a meeting in Brussels on November 8 to renew their resolve to join efforts to fight terrorism and avoid the amalgam between Islam and terrorism, a statement by the European parliament said this Friday.

Since the terror attack against the United states last September 11, the European parliament held several meetings and reaffirmed the importance it grants to the consolidation of dialogue in the frame of the Euro-Mediterranean forum.

Ms Fontaine has repeatedly stressed the need to foster mutual understanding and tolerance between the peoples of the two shores of the Mediterranean and asserted on September 18 before the ambassadors of Arab countries in Brussels that it was necessary to inform the public opinion to avoid confusion between Islam and terrorism. She also insisted on the need to reactivate Euro-Mediterranean dialogue to avoid that gaps widen.

The November 8 meeting will be attended by members of the European Parliament, members of the parliaments of the member countries of the European Union, and members of the parliaments of the 12 Mediterranean countries. Libya and Mauritania will attend the meeting as observers.