Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of the 16th AIPU conference, Ashour said the union needs to hold more intensive meetings to coordinate the stances of the national parliaments of the Arab countries towards several important issues.
"On top of these issues are the statutes of the AIPU which should be dovetailed with that of the Organization of Islamic Conference Inter-Parliamentary Union (OIC-IPU)," he pointed out. "Members of the committee on legal and human rights affairs have discussed a range of issues such as the launching of the electronic Arab parliament and the contacts among the Arab parliaments," he said noting that the two issues will be referred to the AIPU executive committee for further debate.
"The conferees have also discussed the suggestion of launching an Arab center for legal and legislative studies, with a budget amounting to USD 150, 000, a well as Lebanon’s bid to host the center," Ashour said.
"Kuwait delegation backs Lebanon’s bid and suggests launching the center in 2010 instead of next year as originally planned," he disclosed.
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti MP Mubarak Al-Khreinj called on the Arab countries to adopt a firm stance on the racist Israeli practices in Jerusalem.
Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of the AIPU conference, Al-Khreinj said the Kuwaiti delegation tabled an urgent proposal on the possible steps the Arab parliaments could take to face up to the Israeli designs targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sites in the West Bank.
"The proposal, adopted by AIPU’s committee on political and parliamentary affairs, shows the keenness of Kuwaiti Amir, government and people for the fair Palestine question," he underscored.
"Israel’s inhuman aggressions on the Palestinians and the Islamic sanctities constitute flagrant violations of the international laws, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention," Al-Khreinj affirmed.
He called for a common Arab strategy for forcing the Jewish state into respecting the rights of the Palestinian people under the relevant international rules.
The Kuwaiti MP also urged the Palestinian factions to bridge their political divide and restore their national unity.
Al-Khreinj leads Kuwait mission to the meeting of AIPU’s committee on political and parliamentary affairs, while Kuwait’s delegation to the AIPU conference is led by National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi.
