In an address in Mexico City yesterday at a conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), head of the delegation from the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura) Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Jaffari underscored the importance of enhancing dialogue among the nations of the world in order to reach just settlements for disputes that impede the progress of mankind. He also touched on the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions of international relations, declaring that respect for the beliefs of others is essential for global stability.
Dr. Al-Jaffari went on to cite the Palestinian problem, which has remained unsettled for over fifty years. It is high time, he said, to lift the injustice imposed on the Palestinian people; and declared that the international partnership for the settlement of the Middle East dispute should depend on the implementation of the UN resolutions that stipulate Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds [East Jerusalem] as its capital.
On Iraq, Dr. Al-Jaffari commented that the absence of a ruling national authority and the existence of occupying forces cannot provide a positive contribution towards the creation of the desired atmosphere of reconciliation. It is essential, he said, to accelerate the solution of the Iraqi problem in a manner that enables Iraq to regain its sovereignty and its political unity.