Cairo: Qatar's Shura Council has participated in the opening plenary of the Arab Parliament's third session of its fourth legislative term, held at the headquarters of the Arab League General Secretariat in Cairo.
The Shura Council was represented at the session by HE Amina bint Youssef Al Jaidah, HE Nasser bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, HE Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Matar Al Kuwari and HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kaabi, all members of the Shura Council and the Arab Parliament.
Chaired by HE Arab Parliament President Saad Al Otaibi, the session reviewed reports from the Parliament's standing committees and approved a number of draft laws, resolutions and recommendations on key Arab issues.
The agenda focused on the Palestinian cause and developments in the occupied Palestinian territories amid continued Israeli military operations and accelerating settlement expansion. Members also addressed Houthi attacks on the Kingdom fo Saudi Arabia, Iranian attacks on several Arab countries, and the rejection of foreign interference in the internal affairs of Arab states.
The session also heard statements on developments in Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Lebanon. It condemned an attack on a church in Jordan, reaffirming its unequivocal rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism, particularly attacks on places of worship.
Ahead of the plenary, the Shura Council's delegation participated in meetings of the Arab Parliament's standing committees to discuss items on their respective agendas.
The Foreign, Political and National Security Affairs Committee, chaired by HE Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Matar Al Kuwari, discussed the latest political and security developments across the Arab world. It also reviewed a report on the first meeting of a subcommittee tasked with developing a parliamentary vision on the impact of foreign interventions in domestic conflicts and ways to address them, as well as a report on its official visit to the Pan-African Parliament in July. Members also considered the Committee's proposed work plan for the new session.
HE Amina bint Youssef Al Jaidah attended a meeting of the Social, Educational, Cultural, Women and Youth Affairs Committee, while HE Nasser bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi and HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kaabi attended meetings of the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee and the Legislative, Legal and Human Rights Affairs Committee, respectively. The three committees discussed a range of issues within their respective areas of responsibility.
HE Amina bint Youssef Al Jaidah also attended a meeting of the Palestine Committee, which reviewed developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and draft resolutions related to the Palestinian cause.
During the meeting, Arab Parliament President Saad Al Otaibi, who also chairs the committee, announced the launch of a global parliamentary initiative to support Palestine. The initiative seeks to mobilize national, regional and international parliaments, strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and rally pressure to end the Israeli occupation and hold those responsible for crimes and violations against the Palestinian people accountable.
The Shura Council's delegation participated in the Arab Parliament's procedural session, held ahead of the opening of its new legislative session, during which the parliament's president, vice presidents, and the chairs and deputy chairs of its standing committees were elected.
HE Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Matar Al Kuwari, a member of Qatar's Shura Council, was elected by acclamation as chair of the Arab Parliament's Foreign, Political and National Security Affairs Committee.
HE Saudi Shura Council member Saad bin Sulaib Al Otaibi was also elected by acclamation as president of the Arab Parliament.
