GENEVA, July 18, (KUNA): Kuwait’s National Assembly (parliament) Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said here Sunday Gulf parliament speakers have decided to coordinate with other Arab parliaments over an overture converting the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) into an international organization.
Speaking to KUNA, Al-Khorafi said top Gulf members of parliament have preferred to take time to unify stances with other Arab parliaments over the suggestion.
He noted that a relevant study by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was considered during a Gulf parliament meeting here.
For his part, Ali Al-Deqbasi, a Kuwaiti and Arab MP, hailed the meeting as very constructive as Gulf members of parliament expressed views over divergent issues.
Gulf parliament speakers and members are here to attend the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament due here on Monday, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The conference aims to discuss issues related to global crises and means to solve them, along with the relation between parliaments and the UN, namely on security, peace, comprehensive development challenges.
The conference will also discuss a number of reports related to current international affairs and reforms presented by the UN.
Al-Khorafi said on Saturday that the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is set to discuss a number of crucial issues at this intricate period in time.
Al-Khorafi, in his first statement since arriving in Geneva to attend the event, said that Gulf Cooperation Council states are to meet on Sunday to coordinate a unified position — notably on the Palestinian issue — to a gathering of 150 parliament speakers from around the world.
The leading Kuwaiti parliamentarian was to attend a meeting of the Inter-Arab Parliamentary Union on Sunday.
Al-Khorafi expressed his gratitude and thanks to the Swiss government for their hosting of the event, after attending delegations of the last two sessions in New York found it hard to obtain visa entries into the United States.
Receiving the National Assembly speaker was the Kuwaiti permanent envoy to the UN, Ambassador Dhirar Rezougi and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Switzerland Suhail Shehaiber, among other Kuwaiti diplomats in Geneva. The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is set to kick off early Monday, with the attendance of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The conference aims to discuss issues related to global crises and means to solve them, along with the relation between parliaments and the UN, namely on security, peace, comprehensive development challenges and the dialogue of nations and cultures.
The conference will also discuss a number of reports related to current international affairs and reforms presented by the UN.