Baghdad hosts the 34th Summit of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union

Baghdad hosts the 34th Summit of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union

Iraq  2023/02/25
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 Muhannad Abdel Wahhab

The capital, Baghdad, hosted the 34th summit of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union after an Iraqi absence from the Arab parliamentary scene for nearly three decades. It is hoped that this summit, in which most of the member Arab parliaments participated, will promote Iraq's return to its recently escalating external diplomatic role, not only at the Arab level, but also at the regional level.
The Secretary-General of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Fayez Ali Shawabkeh, said: "The executive committee of the union prepares the structure of the union and conducts its affairs between the two conferences, as each country of the union is represented by one member in the committee."
Shawabkeh added, in an interview with "Al-Sabah", that "the final report of the session will be agreed upon in order to correct the report with what has already been agreed upon, and it will be presented to the conference," noting that "the thirty-fourth session of the union has an agenda that includes ratification of the decisions of the Executive Committee and support for Iraq as a Basic slogan.
The Secretary-General of the Federation pointed out that "the conference will discuss several issues, including those related to the decisions of the Federation and the committees, and there will be agreement on a final statement and the Baghdad Declaration, in addition to the decisions of the Political Committee and the decisions of the Women, Childhood, Financial and Economic Committees."
He pointed out the need for cooperation and solidarity with regard to "the economic file, as there will be a basic committee with a financial and economic mission, and it will have a meeting and take decisions at the level of Arab ambition."

Arabic support 
Since its establishment in 1974, the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union has been based on cooperation and solidarity, as stipulated in the preamble to its objectives. The Union had agreed in its last session to elect the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, as president of the current session, which is being hosted by the capital, Baghdad, for the period from February 23 to February 26, with the slogan "Arab support for strengthening Iraq's stability and sovereignty," dedicated to adding new momentum to Iraq aspiring to restore its Arab position at all levels and levels. .
The official website of the federation published the agenda of the 34th conference, which began on Friday, with the arrival of delegations, and a consultative meeting was held for the heads of parliaments, councils and heads of delegations, which was followed by a dinner banquet hosted by the Iraqi Parliament Speaker and the head of the current parliament session, Muhammad al-Halbousi, in honor of the guests.
Member of the Shura Council of the Sultanate of Oman, Hammoud bin Ahmed Al Yahyai, ​​touched on his country's relations with Iraq, saying: "The economic openness between the Sultanate of Oman and Iraq is on its way to growing significantly with the continuation of visits and the escalation of bilateral relations between the two countries to the highest level with the growth of trade exchange," noting that "the Sultanate It will work to increase the bonds of friendship between the two countries."
Ibn Ahmed added to "Al-Sabah" that "the conference will find great success in supporting joint Arab action and the return of Iraq to the forefront of the Arab ranks," noting that "the preparation for the conference is good and the preparation is at a high level, so we are working to strengthen the bonds of friendship and brotherhood among the Arabs, especially in supporting The Palestinian issue discussed by the preliminary committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Member of the Syrian People's Assembly, Radwan al-Hassan, praised the Iraqi organization, in addition to "the stand of all Arab brothers with Syria and the provision of aid after the devastating earthquake," pointing out that "it was an Arab stand of glory that proved the unity of Arab blood and strength in the positions of Arab countries to help Syria."
Al-Hassan added to "Al-Sabah" that "the most prominent thing that was discussed in the Preliminary Committee is the return of the headquarters of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union to Damascus as a result of the war after it was moved to the Lebanese capital, Beirut," noting that "Syria welcomes all Arab brothers and considers itself a symbol of Arab solidarity."
He continued, "Syria has not stopped attending meetings, rather it has stopped attending some meetings. Through this conference, we thank the Republic of Iraq for the good hosting and all the Arab brothers," noting that "the time has come to break the siege on Syria, and we desperately need to remove the blockade law that has caused economic disasters in Syria." Syria".
political conference
A member of the Libyan House of Representatives and a member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Abd al-Salam Nasiyah, said: “What is required to be activated in this difficult circumstance that the Arab nation is going through is to consolidate the relationship between the Arab peoples through Arab parliaments, as we presented at the meeting a strategy to activate these relations by containing them.” Important mechanisms for Arab coordination, especially in international forums such as international parliaments, exchange of visits in Arab parliaments, activation of economic agreements and Arab economic integration.
He pointed out that "the world is going through an economic crisis, and no single country can get out of this crisis. Therefore, we need an Arab economic dialogue. When the conversation is at the level of the Arab peoples represented by parliaments, it will be more useful than talking between governments because the peoples are always closer to each other and transcend political issues." You meet in common concerns.
He stressed that "starting from Baghdad makes us optimistic and activating joint Arab action at the level of Arab parliaments will be better in the future, especially in the presence of all Arab countries."
Member of the Shura Council of the Sultanate of Oman and member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Hammoud bin Ahmed Al Yahyai, ​​said: "The union's meetings in Baghdad come to discuss the obstacles that impede the functioning of the union and how to overcome the obstacles, so that it can implement its own strategy, the charter and the goals envisaged by the union."
Al-Yahyaei added, touching on the obstacles that "most of them are administrative and financial, including the failure of some countries to pay financially," noting that "the Executive Committee proposed holding an extraordinary session to discuss the obstacles and provide solutions and present them during the conference."
The member of the Executive Committee pointed out that "all delegations unanimously agreed to extend their thanks and praise for the good reception and hospitality by Iraq, and believe that this meeting is a springboard for its return to the forefront in terms of Arab solidarity, as Iraq was present in all fields."

Executive committees 
The session opened with a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in the capital, Baghdad.
A statement by the House of Representatives Media Department stated that "Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Representative Muhammad Siddiq, representing the President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Muhammad al-Halbousi, inaugurated the work of the (34) extraordinary session of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union."
The statement added, "The session will include the report of the Secretary-General of the Union, the final accounts for the year 2022, and the draft agenda for the 34th Conference of the Arab Parliamentary Union, which will be held today, Saturday, in Baghdad."
While the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee announced that recommendations would be submitted to the 34th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, to be approved by the Iraqi presidency. 
The head of the committee, Muhammad Siddiq, said that "today's session was chaired by the Executive Committee of the Arab Parliamentary Union, and the recommendations and decisions of yesterday's session were discussed," adding that "the session approved the recommendations of yesterday's session, and during the next session a new session of the Executive Committee of the Arab Parliament will be opened."
And Siddik added that "during the past month, at the meeting of the Union that was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, a recommendation was issued that there be an extraordinary meeting to address and discuss the financial situation and to approve the recommendations of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union."
He pointed out that "the recommendations will be submitted to the (34th) conference, which will be held today, Saturday, under the chairmanship of the President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Speaker of Parliament Muhammad
Al-Halbousi.

Parliamentary entity
Shakhwan Abdullah, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, representing the President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Muhammad al-Halbousi, inaugurated the work of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in its thirtieth session, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Fayez Shawabkeh, and members of the parliamentary divisions of the Arab countries.
A statement by the parliament's media department stated that Abdullah expressed "hope for the success of the meetings of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union conference to rise to the level of aspirations of all Arab peoples."
The statement added, "The Secretary-General of the Union, Fayez Shawabkeh, initiated the meeting's discussions by approving the agenda of the Executive Committee, which included approving mechanisms and ways to develop the work of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, and mechanisms to address the union's financial situation and the obstacles that impede its work."
The meeting touched on "the problems facing the General Secretariat of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, especially the problem of funds deposited in Lebanon, and finding an appropriate solution that reflects positively on the work of the union, and put forward a proposal to open a new financial account in an Arab country, as well as a proposal to return the union to its previous headquarters in the Syrian capital, Damascus." .
The statement quoted Shawabkeh as affirming, "The General Secretariat welcomes any decision taken by members of Parliament," noting that "all proposals put forward by members of the Executive Committee will be prepared, formulated, agreed upon, and submitted to the work of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference."

Iraqi fingerprint 
A member of the Lebanese Parliament and a member of the Executive Committee of the Union of Arab Parliaments, Michael Moussa, said: "Iraq plays a fundamental and pivotal role in establishing relations between brotherly Arab countries and resolving the differences in the region that have prevailed for many years."
Musa pointed out that "Iraq has a clear imprint through holding meetings and conferences in order to bridge the views of political opponents," pointing out that "holding this conference in Baghdad for the current session gives it full impetus in pursuing work that is in the interest of all Arab countries."
Regarding the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey, the Lebanese member of parliament added that "there will be a clear stance of solidarity with the victims of this natural disaster," stressing that "when humanitarian matters, borders are canceled, and there is solidarity and integration among all, and this is the concern of the Arab countries, for more humanitarian support." With this tragedy, I hope that Syria will return to occupy its seat in the League of Arab States to exercise its pivotal role in consolidating joint Arab action.
As for Representative Fahmy Al-Za’arir, Secretary of the Palestinian National Council, a member of Parliament and a member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Parliament Union, he said: “The extraordinary meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Union of the Arab Parliament discussed the most important issues in two parts, the first of which is developing and activating the work mechanisms of the Arab Parliament Union, and providing the necessary capabilities in preparation for the conference.”
Al-Zaarir pointed out that "Iraq is taking great steps to restore its role as the leader of the Arab nation," appreciating "the role of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, which hosts the Arab Parliamentary Union with high organizational capabilities."
 In turn, a member of the Libyan House of Representatives and a member of the Executive Committee, Abd al-Salam Nusiya, confirmed that "the extraordinary session of the Union of Arab Parliaments included two items, the first related to developing the work mechanisms of the Arab Parliamentary Union, and the second was regarding the parliament's budget and matters related to the work of the union."
 And he indicated that "the meeting touched on setting a strategy for the union from 2023 to 2026," noting that "there is a great opportunity to activate the role of the union as a result of the development of joint Arab action with the presence of brotherly Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic and all Arab countries, so the union must take its role in the future."
He explained that "a work strategy has been adopted and will be submitted to the heads of the Union of Arab Parliaments."
Nusiya said, "The meeting discussed the difficulties facing the temporary headquarters of the Union of Arab Parliaments in Lebanon, and proposals were put forward to address the status of the headquarters and the union's budget."
Nasiyeh appreciated "Iraq's role in organizing the activities of the conference, and thus supports the stability of Iraq," noting that "everyone knows Iraq's great role in joint Arab action, and we are happy for Iraq's return to embracing Arab countries and its presence in Arab forums."
He stressed that "the stability of the Arab world is part of the stability of Iraq, and there is no doubt that the presence of Iraq is important in the body of the nation
Arabic".
Arab tributes 
The deputy of the Algerian National People's Assembly, Siddig Bukhush, said: "The conference falls within the framework of supporting the Arab councils and parliaments for the state and people of Iraq and enhancing its stability and sovereignty. Two committees were formed in this framework and discussed many important points within the framework of strengthening the activation of Iraq and relations between member states."
Bukhush added to “Al-Sabah” that “one of the outcomes of the thirty-fourth summit is the fate of the union’s temporary headquarters in Lebanon and the difficulties facing the union in terms of financial appropriations, especially the budget, and the status of subscriptions for the member states of the union, in addition to discussing many other strategic points that the union will adopt in the future.” The year 2026 will take place and deliberations will take place to approve the 2023 budget and the 2022 budget.

Busy agenda 
The second day's work includes the opening session in Baghdad Hall in the government palace, during which the speaker of the session, Muhammad al-Halbousi, will deliver the speech of the Iraqi Parliament, while the Speaker of the Parliament in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ahmed bin Salman al-Musallam, will deliver a similar speech, in addition to the speech of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. . Then, seminars and meetings follow among the members of the delegations. The conference will conclude its work, next Monday, after the participating delegations agree to formulate the final statement and listen to the reports and recommendations of the conference committees.

Recommendations prior to the {Baghdad Declaration}
The Iraqi Parliament announced the conclusion of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union's work of the Executive Committee of the thirty-first extraordinary session in Baghdad. An official statement stated that "the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union held a meeting to complete the work of the thirty-first extraordinary session of the Executive Committee, headed by Representative Muhammad Siddiq Muhammad, representing the President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives." 
The statement continued, "The members of the Executive Committee approved the recommendations of their meeting to submit them to the thirty-fourth conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, which included discussing ways to develop the work of the Union by examining the necessary mechanisms to strengthen the Union's relationship with Arab institutions concerned with Arab work and ways to develop relations with their regional and international counterparts and activate the work of the permanent committees." And the executive through meetings, activities, organizing specialized workshops throughout the year, and the general secretariat of the federation coordinating the responses and proposals received from the sister parliamentary divisions and presenting them to the thirty-second session of the Executive Committee, which will be held in the first half of 2023, to study and take the necessary measures in this regard. 
The statement indicated that, "concerning mechanisms for addressing the financial situation of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, the meeting decided to study possible ways and means to transfer the current headquarters and its return to Damascus, and to thank the sister Republic of Lebanon for hosting the Union's headquarters, and to approve the opening of a bank account in one of the member states of the Union with political and economic stability and assign The presidency of the Arab Parliamentary Union, in contact with the presidency of the Lebanese Parliament, to intervene with the banks to resolve the financial issue related to the Union’s accounts and find a solution to it, in addition to asking the Arab parliamentary people to pay their contributions for the year 2023 and to circulate the report that includes the suggestions and recommendations reached by the committee to all Arab councils and parliaments. 
The Executive Committee also recommended, according to the statement, "issuing a statement condemning the Israeli occupation forces' storming of the occupied city of Nablus and committing a new massacre against the Palestinian people, in addition to thanking the Parliamentary Division in the Republic of Iraq represented by His Excellency Mr. Muhammad al-Halbousi, President of the Arab Parliamentary Union and Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, for the efforts." Efforts to enable the Union to achieve the goals for which it was established and for the success of the Committee’s work, in addition to extending thanks to the Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Shakhwan Abdullah, and Representative Muhammad Siddiq Muhammad, in addition to the Secretary-General of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union for their efforts that contributed to improving the performance of the Union.
Edited by: Ali Abdel-Khalek

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