BERRI From Geneva Warns of Attempts to Liquidate Palestinian Cause

14/10/2018

GENEVA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, warned of attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause, reiterating the "need for Arab Parliaments to respond to such attempts in all parliamentary forums."

Berri's words came during a lengthy meeting held by the heads of the Arab Parliamentary Councils and delegations on Saturday evening at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Headquarters in Geneva prior to the opening session of the Union's 139th General Assembly tomorrow morning.

Following in the same steps adopted by the Islamic States Parliamentary Group during their meeting in Geneva yesterday, IPU conferees agreed on a proposal submitted by Kuwait and Jordan to include an "emergency item" on the General Assembly's agenda related to Washington's decision to stop UNRWA's financial aids, which constitutes an attempt to exert new pressure on the Palestinian people.

The Arab Parliamentary Union's meeting was co-chaired by Arab Parliamentary Union Head, Egyptian House Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, and Inter-Parliamentary Union President, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, who raised the issue of discussion and voting on the item related to the rights of homosexuals.

A long discussion took place during the meeting, whereby Speaker Berri intervened several times to remind participants of the priority of voting on the emergency item as stipulated by the Union's Law, namely regarding the subject of UNRWA and the rights of the Palestinian people. However, Barron informed the attendees that voting over the UNRWA issue and amending the agenda of the Standing Committee would take place in order to pass the issue of gay rights.

In turn, Arab Councils' heads and members stressed that priority should be given to UNRWA, adding that the inclusion of the subject of homosexuals was "unacceptable, and lacking urgency."

"I think that according to the IPU System, the emergency item must be voted on before anything else," Berri emphasized, adding that "what is happening is against democracy." He warned of "the continuation of such an attempt," while stressing on the Arab and Islamic Parliaments' opposing stand in this respect.