The Arab Parliamentary Union (APU) started in Khartoum on Thursday with MPs calling for a unified Arab action to bring an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Kuwait’s parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi blamed the Arab nation for the deterioration of the Palestinian cause, calling on Arab lawmakers to have active resolutions to help the Palestinians, said the Kuwaiti official news agency (KUNA).
"Regrettably, we have reached a stage where we meet for the sake of meeting, we don't concentrate on the issue for which we gather," al-Khorafi told the APU.
He said that such meetings "always focus on the points of difference…Although what unite us is more than matters of segregation.
"We should take the blame for what is happening in dear Palestine .. We should have the courage to admit that we are responsible for the fate of this cause… We are responsible because we neglect these matters and we are distant from them thus leading to individual rather than united results," he added.
He called for discussing all issues in a frank, objective and transparent manner.
Al-Khorafi backed Syrian parliament speaker Abdulqader Qaddourah who condemned the Arab position of the Palestinian cause. Dr. Ali khalil of Lebanon said the APU's recommendations should rise to challenges of the post-September 11 attacks.
Salim Za’noun of Palestine proposed a formation of a parliamentary delegation of Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Qatar and Mauritania -- whose citizens can enter the Palestinian territories -- to meet Palestinian legislators and President Yasser Arafat.
Sudan, meanwhile, proposed the creation of a fund to gather donations for the "people not government" to back the Palestinian cause. (Albawaba.com)
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