Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) President, H.E. Senator Fayez Al-Tarawneh (Jordan), and Secretary General, Dr. Sergio Piazzi, will meet later today in Amman, Jordan, the UN Secretary General, H.E. Ban Ki-Moon, for an exchange of views on the ongoing initiatives by the two organizations in the region. Both PAM and the United Nations are fully engaged in efforts aimed at creating and supporting the best possible conditions for dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians, as well as, in facilitating the transition processes in those countries where the populations have urged the implementation of more democratic participation.
Meanwhile the 19th Meeting of the PAM Bureau, hosted in Amman by the Parliament of Jordan, on 30 January, discussed a number of priority issues both internally and with the participation of two key-figures in the region, namely H.E. Ambassador Robert H. Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process and UN Secretary General Envoy to the Quartet and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Hon. Nasser Judeh.
In his intervention, Amb. Serry described the current status of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, and referred to the situation of the region in general, including Syria. He underlined the role of both the UN and the Quartet which are leaving no stone unturned to keep the parties engaged in dialogue and fruitful negotiations.
Jordanian Foreign Minister, Hon. Judeh, expressed his satisfaction on the current momentum, stating that there is a calendar, as proposed last October by the Quartet, which is being generally adhered to. He referred to the ongoing contacts, under his presidency, as important explorative talks, which means that dialogue is taking place. With reference to PAM, Hon. Judeh, underlined how important the Assembly is in being instrumental, when talks are blocked, in exercising the necessary political pressure on the Knesset and the Palestinian National Authority to resume negotiations. The fact that at the PAM Bureau the Vice Presidents of the Knesset and of the PNC respectively, participate and discuss directly on their issues, points to the positive role that PAM is playing in the region.
PAM President, H.E. Al-Tarawneh highlighted PAM’s commitment to continue with its efforts to accompany, through its parliamentary diplomacy tools, the course of action to substitute injustices with more participation in the democratic life in those countries where the populations have initiated these processes. ‘PAM has also to build upon its achievements to promote further operational solutions to the aspirations expressed by the peoples following the Arab spring, which are also inspiring the youth in the Western world and all our initiatives have helped strengthen the complementarity of our parliamentary diplomacy with traditional diplomacy, in support to the actions undertaken by the international community, to defend our values and principles’, H.E. Al-Tarawneh added.
This was the first Bureau meeting for President Al-Tarawneh, who was elected in October on the occasion of the VI PAM Plenary Session in Palermo, Italy. PAM Vice-President, Sen. Francesco Amoruso (Italy) shared the latest developments of the PAM Panel on External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean sectoral priorities such as Energy, Food Security, International Commercial Arbitration and Finance.
PAM Secretary General, Dr. Sergio Piazzi, briefed the Bureau on the preparations for the PAM/UN/OCSE meeting on the process of Constitutional Reform in Bosnia Herzegovina which will be hosted by the Parliament of Malta.
The Bureau discussed also the Work Plan of the PAM three Standing Committees and Special Task Forces. Hon. Conceicao Pereira (Portugal), Rapporteur on future initiatives in Education updated the Bureau on her work. Hon. Conceicao Pereira said parliamentarians, have the obligation to support, promote and advocate for access to education for all, and to use education as an instrument to support democracy, tolerance, solidarity, integration and to motivate the search for a better future for each individual and the community to which they belong. ‘In Morocco, in 2009, PAM launched the ‘Fez Programme’ and a number of the recommendations of the ‘Fez Programme’ have been implemented. It is now the time for us to revise and bring the programme up to the expectations of the people, as resulting from the Arab Spring, and as a result of the many protest movement in the European countries, where the people in the streets also call for more transparency, accountability, better governance and more participation”, Hon. Pereira concluded.
The Bureau session in Amman also saw the Jordanian, Turkish, Israeli, Palestinian, French, Portuguese and Italian delegations discuss and propose specific actions on how PAM can be more proactive on the issue of unemployment and job creation at the regional level together with other international partners, such as the EBRD.