The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) actively participated in the 65th Annual Session of NATO PA, held from 11 to 14 October 2019 in London, kindly hosted by the Parliament of the UK. PAM delegation was led by Hon. Pedro Roque, President Emeritus and President of the PAM 1st Standing Committee on Political and Security related Cooperation.
The annual conference brought together parliamentarians from the 29 member states of the Alliance, as well as partner countries, international organizations and inter-parliamentary assemblies. 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the Alliance, and the debates reflected on how the mechanism of NATO was effective in ensuring peace and security in the trans-Atlantic region. At the same time, parliamentarians adopted resolutions on the current security challenges, notably those stemming from Africa and Afghanistan, as well as those emerging in the cybersphere, the content of which was of great relevance to the work of PAM.
Most relevant to the area of concern of PAM were the keynote addresses by the NATO PA President Madeleine Moon, UK Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace, and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, who also engaged in a vibrant discussions with the parliamentary delegations to address many pressing issues facing the Alliance today, notably on the recent developments in Syria.
In his address at the Plenary Sitting, Hon. Pedro Roque highlighted the common concerns, that NATO PA and PAM share regarding security in the Euro-Mediterranean region, particularly on the ongoing developments in North Eastern Syria, such as the mass displacement of civilians, as well as the fate of ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighters, and their families, held at Al-Hol, and other camps.
On the question of the foreign fighters detained in northern Syria, Hon. Pedro Roque presented PAM´s proposal to the UN Security Council of the establishment of a mechanism of triage, which operating under a UN Mandate, would assist in identifying the nationality of each individual, so that countries could repatriate, prosecute, imprison, and de-radicalize their own nationals.
Additionally, Hon. Roque highlighted the importance of the participation of Libyan representatives from both Tripoli and Tobruk at PAM meetings, and the readiness of the Assembly to assist in the parliamentary dimension of the process of national reconciliation in view of the Berlin Conference.
Finally, Hon. Roque stressed the importance of the need to continue to promote the Two-State solution between Israel and Palestine, and highlighted the recent consultations that PAM held on this and other issues with the US Administration in Washington DC.
In London, PAM delegates held a bilateral meeting with NATO PA´s President Madeleine Moon to exchange views, and agreed that closer cooperation between the two organizations would be fruitful. In this regard, it was agreed to organize a joint event at the NATO Southern Command in Naples, in fall 2020.
Additionally, PAM delegates had bi-lateral consultations with national delegations from the USA, France, and Italy, among others, to further coordinate the proposal for joint action in 2020.