The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) reiterated the added value brought by parliamentary diplomacy in maintaining dialogue between Israeli and Palestinians, and thus, in facilitating the peace process in the Near East, at the opening session of the two-day UN Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Rome 27-28 February, 2013), the first such gathering since the General Assembly voted in November 2012 to accord Palestine non-member observer State status at the UN.
PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi, in his address to the opening session, reminded that, in line with the recommendations made by UN Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-moon in his address to the PAM VII Plenary Session last October, PAM is implementing its strategic priorities in the region in close cooperation with the UN System. This mobilization aims at fostering, inter alia, the fight against terrorism and organized crime, the peace process in the Middle East in its regional dimension, the assistance to countries in transition, as a result of the Arab Spring, and others geopolitical issues in sensitive areas, as well as the sustainable development of social and economic living conditions for the people of the Mediterranean.
“Since our joint meeting with the Committee on Palestinian Rights, in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace, held in Malta, in February 2010, PAM has ensured a constant monitoring of developments in relation to the five permanent issues, namely borders, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees and water. The Assembly is also proud to be the unique forum in which high-level Israeli and Palestinian MPs and diplomats continue to meet regularly, in a manner conducive to concrete achievements”. Dr. Piazzi said.
PAM Secretary General also highlighted PAM’s immediate response to the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Gaza, which contributed to a diplomatic solution within a reasonable time. At the peak of the crisis, PAM coordinated its actions with, inter alia, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle-East Peace Process in Jerusalem, the Secretary General of the Arab League, the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Vice President of the Knesset and the Speaker of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), who had requested PAM’s intervention.
In order to consolidate PAM’s latest endeavours and to identify clear targets of cooperation in the future months, a PAM high-level delegation will travel to the Middle-East in April and May 2013 to meet Governments’ and Parliaments’ representatives in Cairo, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza, Amman and Beirut, to further advocate for the two States solution, which is considered the only framework that can provide peaceful and secure living conditions for both Israeli and Palestinian peoples. The outcome of these missions will be presented and discussed with the United Nations in New York and with the US Administration and Congress in Washington, on the occasion of PAM’s annual consultations in the US next June.
To conclude, Piazzi said that he will coordinate with the PAM Bureau to make use of the recommendations Dr and conclusions of the Seminar to streamline any future action with a view to further delivering effective and targeted assistance to the Palestinian People, both politically and economically speaking. PAM is confident that these objectives can only be reached by a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle-East, based, above all, on the respect of Human Rights and dignity.
The UN Seminar was also addressed by Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Amb. Abdou Salam Diallo, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Ms. Fernanda Guerrieri, Directeur de Cabinet, Food and Agriculture Organization and H.E. Mr. Nabil Kassis, Minister of Finance, Palestinian Authority, Representative of the State of Palestine.
On the margins of the event, bilateral talks were held with Minister Kassis, the representatives of the UN DPA, OECD, the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation, the Italian Federation of Industries (Confindustria), the Union for the Mediterranean, UNRWA, OPEC, UNCTAD, and UN OCHA.