The 5th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean held in Rabat, Morocco on 28-30 October 2010, has brought to an end another year of successes and achievements which further strengthened the role of PAM in the dynamics of parliamentary diplomacy at the regional and international level.
As UN Secretary General H.E. Ban Ki-moon stated in his personal address to the opening ceremony, PAM shares with the United Nations, a common vision to promote dialogue, mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence in the Mediterranean region and beyond. Mr. Ban Ki-moon also conveyed his greetings to PAM for the attainment of the observer status to the United Nations General Assembly.
The Plenary Session was attended by Speakers and parliamentarians from the region, as well as representatives of international organisations and civil society.
The Morocco Plenary of PAM represents another success in its mission for peace, stability and security in the Mediterranean, contributing to further improve the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as serving as a platform where other issues, such as the situation in the Balkans and Cyprus, could be debated by the actors themselves. For example, the President of the Parliament of Israel, Hon. Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian National Council Vice-President, Hon. Tayser Qu’ba, had the opportunity, during the Plenary session, to exchange views and delve into the reasoning behind their respective positions, in an atmosphere which was underscored by the open and democratic debate which characterises PAM’s working procedures.
The 5th PAM Plenary Session has also marked the addition of Andorra to the list of PAM member parliaments, following a request to become the 26th Mediterranean Parliament to join the PAM.
In Morocco, the Assembly has also adopted all the reports and resolutions submitted by the three Standing Committees. Throughout the year, a number of rapporteurs, selected among the parliamentarians of the national delegations, are engaged, with the support of the PAM Secretariat, in a process of research and compilation of reports touching upon issues, such as the Middle East, Organised Crime, Terrorism, PAM’s delegation visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, Climate Change, Water and Energy, Cultural and Religious Dialogue, Migrations and Gender and Equality.
The Assembly also approved the Programme of Activities for the next two years, including initiatives such as, the Meeting of the PAM National Parliaments’ Secretaries General, to be hosted by France, the PAM-UN Meeting on the Reform process in Bosnia Herzegovina, to be hosted by Malta, as well as the briefing meetings with the diplomatic corps in Geneva, New York and Malta.
A new Bureau was also elected for the biennium 2011-2012, with members being chosen by the two geo-political groups for the North and the South of the Mediterranean. The new president for the next two years will be the Hon. Mohammed Abu El Enein from Egypt, who has taken over from Hon. Rudy Salles (France), whose leadership of PAM, during the last two years, was applauded by the Assembly’s parliamentarians.
Following the successful outcome of the Morocco Plenary Session, PAM has already moved on with its regional commitments, with the next immediate appointments being; the PAM-UNESCO Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Science, Technology and Innovation for the Mediterranean Region, Paris 9-10 November 2010 and the First operational meeting of the PAM Panel on External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, Naples, Italy, 12-13 November 2010.