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Meeting Of The Follow-Up Committee
Of The Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference
(Khartoum 14-15/1/2009)


REPORT OF THE FOLLOW-UP COMMITTEE

The Follow-up Committee of the Afro-Arab parliamentary conference, held its meeting on 14 and 15 January 2009 in Khartoum, Sudan. Following are the representatives of the parliaments in the Follow-up Committee.

African side: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.

Arab side: Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

Mr Abdelaziz Mustafa, Deputy-Speaker of the People’s Assembly of Egypt, Deputy Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU), as well as Messrs Abdelgadir Abdalla and Nouredine Bouchkouj, respectively Secretary General of the African Parliamentary Union and Secretary General of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), participated in the meeting.

1 - Opening session

The opening session of the follow-up committee was attended by:
  • Mr. Mohamed Al-hassan Al-ameen, Deputy Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly;

  • Mr. Abdallah Al-hardalo, Deputy Speaker of the Sudanese Council of States;

  • Messers/ chairmen of Standing Committees in Sudan and the Secretaries General of the Parliament of Sudan .

During the opening session three speeches were delivered by Mr. Mohamed Al-hassan Al-ameen, Deputy Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly, Mr. Raja Al-hojailan Al-Matiri, member of the Kuwaiti Umma Council who represented the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and Mr. Abdelaziz Mustafa, Deputy Speaker of the People’s Assembly of Egypt and Deputy Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union.
  • Mr. Mohamed Al-hassan Al-amin, the Deputy Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly, in his opening speech, welcomed the Arab and African parliaments in Sudan.

He praised the two General Secretariats of the two Unions for their efforts exerted in supporting and promoting the Afro-Arab parliamentary dialogue. As the African and Arab parliamentarians are fully aware of the common destiny of their countries, this dialogue is to preserve the interests of both the African and Arab nations.

Deploring the incidents that are taking place in the Gaza Strip at the very moment this follow-up committee is being convened, he called upon the Africans and Arabs to take an action to preserve their cohesion and to defend their sovereignty.

Since there are some countries that dream to exercise domination over African and Arab nations, it is our duty to resist collectively in order to protect our people from invasion and attempts of domination. The same thing should particularly be done in Sudan, which is facing the feverish attempts of the International Criminal Court.

This is why and while praising the multi-faceted cooperation between Africa and the Arab world, he particularly called for intensifying the cultural dimension between the two sides in particular, and for protecting and spreading the African and Arab culture.

Finally, he wished the follow-up committee full success that leads to tangible results aimed at promoting the Afro-Arab dialogue.
  • Thereafter, the meeting was addressed by Mr. Raja Al-Hojailan Al-Matiri, member of the Kuwaiti Umma Council, who thanked the Sudanese Parliament, Government and people, for hosting the follow-up committee’s meeting. He also conveyed to the participants the greetings of the Chairperson of Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and wished success for the committee’s work.
Mr. Al-Matiri also pointed out that the Meeting is taking place amidst critical regional and international circumstances. The global financial crisis, he said, is overshadowing the economies of developing countries. He went on to say that the ferocious Israeli aggression on Gaza, the hundreds of killings, the thousands of injuries and the massive destruction caused by the aggression are all increasing the extent of tension in the Middle East and jeopardizing the security and stability of the region. This tension is aggravated by the attempts of interference in Sudan’s affairs and accusation of the Head of the State, incidents in Congo and Somalia, are all concerning and impacting the stability of the African continent. Mr. Al-Matiri has also affirmed that Africans and Arabs should cooperate to face the common challenges and threats.

Mr. Al-Matiri expressed optimism about the progress of the parliamentary Afro-Arab dialogue, which celebrates this year its quarter-century anniversary of establishment. In conclusion, he underscored that the two African and Arab parliamentary unions are now preparing for the 12th conference of dialogue in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, by the end of March 2009.
  • Taking the floor, Mr. Abdul-Aziz Mustafa, Deputy Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union, personally and on behalf of the Union, expressed gratitude to Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim Al-tahir, the Speaker of the Sudanese National Assembly and the Sudanese authorities for the warm welcome and the efforts exerted for the convening of this meeting.

He reminded that the institution of the Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference and Dialogue aimed at meeting the objectives of African and Arab Parliaments, on the one hand, and consolidating the role of the African Parliamentary Union and the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union, on the other hand.

Concerning the situation in the Middle East, particularly the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, he underlined the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian people in order to obtain their national rights. He added that this Israeli massacre contradicts all international conventions and norms and requires a decisive solution, calling on the international community to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes particularly against women and children.

Furthermore, he said that the targeting of the sister country of Sudan and its President, is a best proof of the biased international community led by the US and European countries, and called upon parliaments to preserve the interests of African and Arab peoples.

In conclusion the deputy chairperson of the APU Executive Committee reiterated thanks to the Sudanese authorities and people for organizing this meeting and to the Nigerian authorities which will host the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference.

2 - Adoption of the agenda

The Follow-up Committee adopted the following draft agenda:
  1. Election of the Committee Bureau (Chairman & Rapporteur)
  2. Joint report of the two General Secretariats, of the African Parliamentary Union and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, on the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the 11th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference
  3. Preparations for the forthcoming 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference in Nigeria:
    • Fixing the date of the Conference.

    • Setting up of the draft Agenda of the Conference

  4. The Afro- Arab Parliamentary Symposium: on " The challenges of globalization to national cultures in Africa and the Arab world"
  5. Fixing the date and venue of the next meeting of the committee.

3 - Election of the Bureau of the Follow-up Committee

The members of the Follow-upCommittee elected the bureau as follows:

- President: Hon. Didace KIGANAHE ( Burundi)
- Rapporteur: (Lebanon)

4 - Joint report of the two General Secretariats, of the African Parliamentary Union and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union
Following the presentation of the report of the two General Secretariats on the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the 11th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference, a debate took place. The delegates congratulated at first the existence of a framework of cooperation between African and Arab parliamentarians.

Noting the efforts exerted by the two General Secretariats to support this cooperation framework, the delegates insisted on the necessity to strengthen the links and the exchanges between African and Arab parliamentarians, through cooperation between the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and the African Parliamentary Union.

Underlining the importance of the Afro-Arab parliamentary dialogue, as a privileged framework, where Africans and Arabs can and shall discuss tmajor challenges which face Africa and the Arab nation, with a view to preserving interests of their peoples, the delegates thought necessary to expand the scope of study in the 12th Conference by adding other items in the draft agenda.

Thus, the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference could examine the subjects relating to peace and security in Africa and in the Arab world, the re-activation of the relations between Arab and African nations, and those issues relating to human development in conformity with the pertinent recommendations contained in the Final Communiqué of the 11th Conference.

5 - Preparations for the forthcoming 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference
  • Fixing the date of the Conference

After the presentation by the Secretary General of the report on the preparations of the 12th Conference scheduled in Abuja, following a mission made by the Nigeria Parliament to the APU headquarters in Abidjan, on the one hand, and a mission of the APU General Secretariat in Abuja, on the other hand, and after having listened to the delegation of the Nigeria parliament, the Follow-up Committee approved the period from 29 to 31 March 2009 for holding the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference.
  • Setting up of the draft Agenda of the Conference

The examination of the draft agenda such as proposed in the joint Report of the two General Secretariats led to fruitful exchanges of views, sometimes on methodological order among delegates.
The delegates decided to amend the draft agenda of the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference on the basis of main preoccupations.
On the one hand, delegates thought that after 25 years of Afro-Arab Parliamentary dialogue, it is the moment to make a comprehensive evaluation with a view to identify the actions to undertake. Therefore, it is important to include in the draft agenda that evaluation prior to all selected topics.

On the other hand, the Afro-Arab parliamentary Conference being an important meeting which shall debate major problems of African and Arab countries, they decided that through its agenda, the Conference could have a debate especially on: the situation in Gaza, the issues of terrorism and piracy, the conflicts threatening the Arab world and Africa, the development of human resources, particularly in heath and education sectors, the role of the International Criminal Court in the settlement of conflicts in the world in addition to issues of peace, equity, equality and justice.

Certain delegates took the opportunity of this debate to ask that the conference could to put a question on the role of the League of Arab States and the African Union regarding issues of peace and security in Africa and in the Arab world.

In order to take into consideration these main concerns, the draft agenda was amended as follows:
  1. Election of the Conference Bureau.
  2. Adoption of the Agenda.
  3. Report of the Follow-up Committee and evaluation of the 25 years (1984-2009) Afro-Arab Parliamentary Dialogue
  4. Exchange of views on:
      ( a )Socio-political situation in the world and its impact on Afro-Arab cooperation
      ( b )Role of African and Arab Parliaments in protecting the economies of their countries from the negative impacts of the current international economic crisis.
  5. The joint Afro-Arab Parliamentary Symposium on: " The challenges of globalization to national cultures in Africa and the Arab world"
  6. Setting up a new Follow-up Committee.
  7. Date and venue of the 13th Conference.

6 - Afro- Arab Parliamentary Symposium
Regarding this symposium, the Follow-up Committee approved the theme. The two General Secretariats will jointly propose to the conference the date and venue of the symposium.

7 - Date and venue of the next meeting of the committee
The Follow-up Committee will meet in Abuja on 29 March 2009 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the eve of the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference.

Done in Khartoum on 15 January 2009

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