GENEVA: Kuwait
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem Friday called for amending bylaw of
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in a way that imposed penalties on any member
failing to comply with this bylaw. He was speaking to reporters after a
preparatory meeting for the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament,
which concluded yesterday. He said they discussed a mechanism to enforce IPU's
bylaw to bring about compliance by member countries, including abidance by UN
resolutions "which were violated by some countries."

Kuwait therefore
called on importance of amending bylaw in a way penalties are enforced on any
member country failing to abide by this bylaw, said Ghanem. The preparatory
meeting also discussed future of democracies in the world and relations between
IPU and the UN, he said. Ghanem and Amal Al-Qubaisi, speaker of the UAE
parliament, represented the Arab group in the preparatory meetings. He hoped
the conference would have fruitful outcome that would be in interest of the
Arab and Islamic affairs.

Meanwhile, Ghanem
met with the United Nations refugee agency's protection chief Volker Turk and
the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Gabriela Cuevas Barron,
in Geneva yesterday. The meeting, which was held on the sidelines of Ghanem's
participation in the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the 5th
World Conference of Parliaments Speakers, discussed a number of issues related
to the Commission work in the Middle East, and how the IPU can play a bigger
role by shedding light on it.

Furthermore,
Ghanem held talks with his Ugandan counterpart Rebecca Kadaga on the sidelines
of the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Fifth World
Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The talks focused on the parliamentary
cooperation between Kuwait and Uganda and coordination of stances of the Arab
and African groups of states on the agenda topics of the committee meeting.
Ghanem represents the Arab geopolitical group of states at the meeting while
Kadaga represents the African one. Separately, Ghanem held a meeting with his
Cypriot counterpart Demetris Syllouris, as they discussed coordination of
stances on issues that would be addressed at the international convention.

In the meantime,
Ghanem visited the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United
Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva where he was
welcomed by Head of the Mission Jamal Al-Ghunaim and other members of the
mission. He appreciated the great efforts being made by the mission to affirm
Kuwait's presence at, and effective contribution to, the various activities of
the Geneva-based international organizations.

Later yesterday,
Ghanem arrived in Cairo to take part in a scheduled joint meeting of the Arab
Parliament and chairs of the Arab parliaments, in response to an invitation by
the Arab Parliament President Dr Meshaal Al-Salami. His delegation includes MPs
Ali Al-Deqbasi, Askar Al-Enezi, Mohammad Al-Huwailah and Khaled Al-Otaibi. They
were welcomed upon arrival by the State of Kuwait Ambassador to Egypt Mohammad
Al-Dhuwaikh, the Kuwaiti Permanent Delegate at the Arab League Ambassador Ahmad
Al-Bakr and a number of diplomats. The speaker flew in from Geneva, where he
was seen off by Ghunaim and members of the Kuwaiti mission. The third session
of the second legislative term of the Arab Parliament is scheduled on February
10-12.

Salami had stated
that getting countries in the region on the same page could be achieved through
an 'all-encompassing vision' that aims to keep collective security intact.
Solidarity among Arab nations is needed to stave off any 'foreign meddling'
that can be detrimental to their interests, Salami said amid high-level talks
bringing together top lawmakers and officials from around the region. He
pinpointed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the most 'perennial concern,' in
addition to other Arab countries enmeshed in political and economic turmoil,
naming Lebanon as a case in point.

On the challenges
facing the region, the Arab world's top lawmaker cited unemployment as a
lingering dilemma, besides other crucial sectors such as healthcare and
education. He went on to say that a key objective in the talks is to ensure
that Arab nations remain a cohesive unit in the face of these growing
challenges, particularly at this critical juncture. Some of the Arab region's
most notable and influential officials have turned up for the meeting, making
the talks all the more significant. - KUNA