'Qatar spares no effort in backing Arab solidarity, espousing Palestinian cause'

HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim has affirmed that Qatar spares no effort in reinforcing joint Arab solidarity and co-operation, in addition to supporting the efforts to consolidate international peace and security, particularly in the Arab region.Addressing the opening ceremony of the 38th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), held in Algiers under the theme 'The Role of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union Amid Regional and International Changes', HE al-Ghanim underscored Qatar's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people until they regain their legitimate rights, foremost of which is the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.HE al-Ghanim talked about the parliaments' instrumental role in countering political, security, and economic challenges engulfing the Arab region, emphasizing that Qatar's enduring positions are aligned with AIPU in pursuit of enhancing joint Arab parliamentary action amid these rapid realignments.The unrelenting Israeli occupation's racist policies and criminal practices pose one of the most formidable challenges that impede the path to development and the efforts for progress and stability in the Arab world, he pointed out. He called for a unified Arab parliamentary stance to stand in defence of the Palestinian people and halt the ongoing violations of international legitimacy resolutions and the unconscionable Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip that has been continuing since Oct. 7, 2023.The Speaker hailed the initiative of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye to establish the Group of Parliaments in Support of Palestine, considering the move as a crucial step toward unifying parliamentary efforts in espousing the Palestinian cause and advocating for the Palestinian people's legitimate rights.In addition, HE al-Ghanim called on all parliaments worldwide to join this group in order to strengthen a unified global parliamentary front that expresses the will of free peoples and coordinates international positions and initiatives. He highlighted the challenges facing the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), particularly the voting mechanism for the adoption of emergency items.He highlighted that the Arab Geopolitical Group, with backing from other regional blocs, had submitted proposals for emergency items addressing critical humanitarian concerns, including a call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the criminalization of blasphemy. However, these proposals were not endorsed due to the IPU's intricate voting system, albeit having garnered the highest percentages of votes, HE al-Ghanim noted.He further underscored that the current voting mechanism governing the adoption of emergency items within the IPU, as laid down in Assembly Rule 11.2(a), obstructs the transmission of peoples' voices and effectively strips the process of its substantive purpose.He called for a structural reform of this mechanism by instituting the principle of 'one country, one vote' akin to the model employed by the UN General Assembly, thereby ensuring equitable representation and procedural justice among all member states.HE al-Ghanim praised the AIPU's role during the current year in fostering Arab participation in the IPU's meetings and supporting the nomination of Arab parliamentarians for membership in the committees.Furthermore, he stressed the importance of backing the nomination of Arab talents for the IPU's leading positions, chief among these is the post of Secretary-General, which is set to become vacant in October 2025, alongside the post of President in the future, thereby shoring up Arab presence in international parliamentary institutions.The conference convenes speakers of Arab parliaments and legislative councils to discuss regional and global issues, as well as shared challenges, in addition to bolstering joint Arab parliamentary action and parliamentary diplomacy in addressing global realignments.