Preparations for Jordan-hosted Arab parliamentary meeting begin

AMMAN — Preparatory meetings for the Jordanian-hosted 29th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) kicked off on Saturday.

The conference, themed “Jerusalem is the Eternal Capital of the State of Palestine”, will be hosted by the Jordanian Lower House slated for March 3-4, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the conference, special committees affiliated with the union will discuss the proposed amendments to the APU charter along with possible pilot projects for laws on “woman and children” and “terrorism”, which would have to be approved by the union’s executive committee.

In its 25th session, the APU’s executive committee is due to hold a meeting next Thursday to refer their notes to the heads of the Arab parliamentary delegations. 

The conference’s agenda includes discussing the executive committee’s reports, regional situations, Arab status quo, passing a final statement for the conference and honouring the winners of the Arab Parliamentary Excellence Award.

Founded in 1974, the APU is an international organisation that aims at strengthening contacts and dialogue among Arab parliamentarians in order to coordinate Arab activities at various international forums, according to the APU’s website.

The Syrian People’s Assembly Speaker Hammoudeh Sabbagh has also recently confirmed the Syrian parliamentary delegation’s participation in the upcoming Jordanian-hosted conference.

MP Qais Ziadin told the Jordan Times on Thursday that the invitation to Sabbagh came from the union, but Jordan “lobbied and pushed towards inviting Syria”.