The Presidents of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), at their first meeting held in Amman on 19 May 2009, pledged to join efforts to support international initiatives for a rapid and lasting peace between the people of Israel and Palestine.
The Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament, H.E. Abdulhadi Majali, who holds the Presidency of EMPA, in welcoming H.E. Rudy Salles, President of PAM and Vice President of the French National Assembly, recalled that PAM was established in Amman in September 2006 with the aim of promoting peace, security and prosperity in the Mediterranean region, which are at a core of both European and Arab interests.
President Salles added that it is the duty of all parliamentarians to work toward peace in the region by using the instrument of parliamentary diplomacy in support of traditional governmental efforts.
« We have the obligation and the duty to work together and join forces – using the instruments available to us – to talk to all those concerned and promote and achieve a lasting peace in the region in line with the two States solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in security and prosperity. It is time to put an end to 60 years of confrontation and give peace a real chance with the strong support by all key players » the two presidents said. They added that they will work toward establishing regular collaboration between the two assemblies as a concrete sign of the complementary role of EMPA and PAM, building on their comparative advantages.
The President of PAM visited Amman at the head of a high-level delegation of MP’s from the Mediterranean region as part of a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, which included consultations with Egyptian, Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian government executives and Speakers of national parliaments, and United Nations senior officials.