Damascus - The activities of the second regular session of the Arab Transitional Parliament kicked off on Saturday in Damascus, chaired by Speaker Dr. Houda Bin Amer.
Participants in the session discussed the draft of the permanent Arab Parliament's statute, which includes the Parliament's principles, goals, election process, membership and representation of member countries, in addition to representation of women in it, areas of specialties, and its role in supervision and legislation.
Members called for presenting the draft statute to parliaments of member countries to benefit from their experience, stressing the need to activate the Parliament's supervision role regarding the Arab League and joint Arab organizations.
They also highlighted the importance of expanding popular participation and creating a parliamentary mechanism for establishing an Arab system that meets the aspirations of the Arab people regarding economic, social and political development, respecting the law and bolstering human rights.
Members suggested adopting equal representation, with each country represented in the Parliament by four members regardless of the population of a country, adding that the Speaker term should be limited to four years and that the Secretary General should be chosen periodically and in rotation among Arab countries.
The 15th of October was assigned as the last date for members to submit written notes and suggestions to the Arab Transitional Parliament's general secretariat in order for them to be discussed by the committee in charge of drafting the statutes of the permanent Arab Parliament.
Speaker Bin Amer said that approving the statute of the permanent Arab Parliament would be the first step towards achieving its goals, particularly caring for the rights, freedom and dignity of the Arab people, achieving comprehensive development, and overcoming economic and social difficulties.
She pointed out that the Parliament was among the foremost Arab establishments in regards to defending national interests and prioritizing them, noting that it was quick to prepare the Arab National Security Strategy in accordance to the resolution issued by the 2007 Arab Summit held in Riyadh.
She also stressed the importance of communicating with relevant authorities, particularly the Arab League, to push the Parliament's projects forward, highlighting the need to reconcile viewpoints regarding the statutes.
Dr. Bin Amer expressed gratitude and appreciation to Syria and President Bashar al-Assad for his constant care and unlimited support for the Arab Parliament.
For his part, head of the Legislative, Legal and Human Rights Committee al-Tayyib al-Misbahi noted that the Committee was committed to preserving the institution of the Arab Parliament, building the permanent Arab Parliament, and benefiting from current experiences of the Transitional Parliament and other similar experiences.
The Parliament's sessions on Sunday will discuss the decisions that were taken and not yet put into action, means to implement them, developments on the Arab arena, and signing the minutes of previous sessions.
By H. Sabbagh / Kh. Aridi
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2009
