AMMAN/KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem yesterday discussed with his Jordanian counterpart Atef Al-Tarawnah ways to intensify efforts on many files and issues, notably the Palestinian cause. This came during a joint meeting between the two sides in Amman on the sidelines of the 30th Arab parliamentary conference to discuss the US peace plan for the Middle East, said the National Assembly in a statement. Both sides addressed developments on the regional and international arenas and underlined the significant bilateral ties between the two countries, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Ghanem discussed with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammad Al-Halbousi a large number of files and issues of common concern. The Kuwaiti assembly said in a statement yesterday the parliament speaker and the head of the Iraqi legislative assembly addressed developments on the regional and international arenas. Ghanem, along with accompanying legislators, arrived in Jordan on Friday to partake in the extraordinary meeting. The Kuwaiti delegation includes MPs Awdeh Al-Rowaie, Mohammad Al-Dallal and Khalil Abel as well as Secretary General of the Assembly Allam Al-Kandari.

'Parliamentarians for Al-Quds'
In the meantime, the conference of the Association of 'Parliamentarians for Al-Quds (Jerusalem)' kicked off yesterday, with the participation of a Kuwaiti Parliamentary delegation comprising deputies Osama Al-Shaheen and Abdullah Al-Enezi, in addition to more than 500 parliamentarians from 72 countries. The two-day conference was inaugurated by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad in the presence of the President of the Association, Sheikh Hamid Al-Ahmar, Speaker of the Malaysian Parliament, Mohammad Yusuf, and a number of parliament speakers in Arab and international countries.

In a statement to the press, MP Osama Al-Shaheen said that the participation of the Kuwaiti delegation comes to support the principles and objectives of the Association and to express pride in the role of parliament, people and government in Kuwait in line with the directions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in supporting the Palestinian cause. Shaheen noted that the participation affirmed its solidarity with the parliamentarians around the world in rejecting the US peace plan, stressing the rejection altogether and in detail to the plan that does not reflect Arab rights and claims and United Nations resolutions.

Meanwhile, MP Enezi said that the Kuwaiti involvement came in response to an invitation by the association, noting that it is an association that brought together parliamentarians from all over the world in support of the Palestinian issue, which is the main and strategic cause of both Islamic and Arab worlds.

Kuwait's Ambassador to Malaysia Hamad Burhama stressed the importance of Kuwait's partaking in the parliamentary conference in order to support the Palestinian issue after the announcement of the US peace plan. The conference discusses several axes, including the need to support the Palestinian cause, defend the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and deal with the Palestinian issue from a purely humanitarian perspective. - KUNA