1st Standing Committee adopts Reports and Resolutions on the fight against terrorism and Political and Security Developments in the MENA Region.
PAM President, Hon. Pedro Roque, chaired the presentation of the works of the 1st Standing Committee on Political and Security-Related Cooperation, and Activities for 2018, at the 12th Plenary Session being held in Bucharest on 15 -16 February.
The Session was also addressed by H.E. Mohamed T.H. Syala, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Libya, Mr. George Ciamba, Secretary of State for Bilateral and Strategic Affairs of Romania within the Euro-Atlantic Area, Hon. Ahmet Aydin, President of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, H.E. Mr. Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and Mr. Mauro Miedico, Chief a.i. of the Terrorism Prevention Branch, Division for Treaty Affairs of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In his introduction to the debate Hon. Roque reiterated PAM’s firm commitment to supporting the process of national reconciliation in Libya, as ensuring a stable and secure Libya is absolutely essential for stability and security in the Mediterranean region.
He then highlighted some of the activities of the 1st Standing Committee that were undertaken during 2017.
On the issue of counter-terrorism, PAM has continued its fruitful cooperation with key UN bodies. Last March, together with UNODC and the EU, PAM co-organised a conference on the “Evaluation of the role of national parliaments in promoting States’ implementation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions on Terrorism and Foreign Terrorist Fighters”. The conference had a number of important outcomes, most notably, the identification of gaps in national legislations both at national level and in the context of international cooperation.
With regard to the Middle East, a PAM delegation conducted a high-level mission to Amman, Ramallah and Jerusalem in July 2017. During the mission, PAM delegates met with government officials and parliamentarians, as well as representatives of the UN and other international organisations.
On the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Hon. Roque said that from the several consultations held it became clear from all sides that the peace process is unfortunately still at a stalemate, and its resumption is not on the immediate agenda of neither party, nor the international community. Unfortunately, since last July, the peace process deteriorated even further following the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
“The position of PAM has always been, and remains that a permanent two-state solution to this conflict is the only way forward. Our delegates re-affirmed this position on our mission and offered PAM’s help, through parliamentary diplomacy and its privileged channel with the UN, to support the resumption of the peace negotiations in the Middle East”, the PAM President said.
Regarding Syria, the situation remains worrying. Apart from the security threats to the region that the destabilisation has caused, the humanitarian catastrophe is also having a straining impact on the neighbouring countries and the wider region. In Jordan, PAM delegates made a visit to the Za’atari Camp, which houses a large number of refugees from Syria, to witness first-hand the effect that the exodus of people has on neighbouring countries and the dire need to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees and the displaced.
In January, the Algerian Parliament hosted the Parliamentary meeting of the 5+5 Western Mediterranean Forum, which was followed by the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the 5+5 countries. Both the parliamentary and the ministerial meetings were very fruitful, and in addition to security related issues, a number of economic and social issues were also discussed. PAM also presented the conclusions of the parliamentary meeting at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers, to inform them of the agreed priorities and positions of the Parliamentarians of the Western Mediterranean.
A High Level PAM delegation conducted a mission to Cairo earlier this month. PAM delegates participated in the 3rd Arab Parliament Speakers Conference, and on that occasion PAM and the Arab Parliament signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to strengthen and formalise the cooperation of the two Assemblies. Additionally, PAM delegates had bilateral meetings with a number of senior officials, including H.E. Ali Abdel Aal Sayed Ahmed, President of the Parliament of Egypt, who expressed his desire for Egypt to resume its active and leading role in the Assembly, and invited PAM to conduct a monitoring mission to the Presidential elections in Egypt, scheduled for March.
For 2018 the focus will continue to be on the peace process between Israel and Palestine, and “I believe that we, as PAM, should utilize the instrument of parliamentary diplomacy as a confidence building measure, especially when tensions rise at the intergovernmental level”, Hon. Roque said. It has already been agreed with PAM Vice Presidents from Palestine and Israel, an idea supported by the PAM Vice President from Jordan, to hold a special restricted meeting on the Dead Sea among politicians of good will to keep the door of communications open and active.
With reference to the fight against terrorism, PAM will continue its cooperation with the three key UN agencies mandated to address this issue, namely the UN Security Council CTED, UNODC, and the newly established Office for Counter-terrorism, which already invited PAM to contribute to the Sixth Biennial Review of the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy that will take place in June in New York.
The main PAM event on counter-terrorism for 2018 will be the continuation of the long standing work with the UN and is scheduled to take place in October, in St. Petersburg, in cooperation with the IPA CIS.
The 1st Standing Committee Session then proceeded with the discussion and vote on two Reports and Resolutions, namely “Countering the evolving threat of terrorism in the Mediterranean region” prepared by Sen. Luigi Compagna (Italy); and “Political and Security Developments in the MENA Region”, presented by Sen. Simon Sutour from France. Following an open and constructive debate among the delegates, the two Reports and Resolutions were adopted.