A High level delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, led by President Sen. Francesco Amoruso (Italy), will visit the UN Headquarters in New York from 4 to 6 December.
This mission rounds up a series of initiatives held in the last six months in connection with the Syrian crisis and the Middle East Peace Process. PAM delegations had visited Damascus, Beirut, Amman, Ramallah and Jerusalem, where a wide range of issues were discussed with Government, Parliament and UN officials, mainly to assist in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population, protection of civilians and confidence building, as well as the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
In New York, the PAM delegates will meet with the UN Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, and other UN Senior officials to exchange views on the present situation and foreseeable developments, in view of the PAM Plenary Session in Marseille on 20-22 January 2014. In France, strategic priorities will be debated as part of the PAM Action Plan for next year. In New York, a meeting is also planned with the Russian Ambassador to the UN to discuss cooperation in the Middle East and the Mediterranean in general, in view of the desire expressed by the Russian Parliament to join PAM, next year.
In preparation of the visit to New York, the PAM Permanent Observer in Geneva attended the briefing on 28 November by UN-LAS Special Envoy for Syria, H.E. Lakhdar Brahimi, where PAM’s role in supporting the Geneva II Conference on 22 January was also discussed.