Parliamentarians from Arab, African countries convene in Amman

AMMAN — The seventh advisory meeting of the Association of Senates, Shura and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab world (ASSECAA) convened in Parliament on Wednesday to discuss the role of legislatures in combating corruption and resolving conflicts. 

Participants at the meeting, organised under the slogan “The role of Arab parliamentarians in combating corruption, conflicts and boosting regional integration”, exchanged views on the ways member states are dealing with conflicts and to highlight their perspectives on economic integration in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 

Delegates from Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Namibia and Zimbabwe are taking part in the two-day event. 

Addressing attendees at the opening session, Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh said the world and the MENA region, in particular, are going through drastic transformations and changes where some powers are trying to penetrate societies and reshape them to serve their interests. 

At the same time, the region is witnessing the rise of popular movements and becoming a battleground for the struggle between local and international powers, he added at the meeting, attended by Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh. 

Rawabdeh noted that radical movements acting in the name of religion or sects, and defying and attempting to work against what religions and humanitarian values call for have contributed to the implosion of several countries.

Poverty and unemployment in the absence of development, democracy and human rights constitute a hotbed for these movements, he added.

ASSECAA Secretary General Abdul-Wase Yousef Ali said corruption has spread on a large scale in the countries of the MENA region and has become an obstacle that impedes progress and development, stressing that internal conflicts also block economic growth. 

As such, the legislatures of the association’s member states should work to root out the problems that are devastating societies and work to combat corruption, he noted.  

In their discussions, speakers addressed the current political and armed conflicts in countries of the MENA region, especially Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Palestine.  

On Thursday, discussions will focus on economic integration among Arab countries.