Arab Parliament speaker thanks KSA for election

Meshaal bin Faham Al-Sulami

JEDDAH: Meshaal bin Faham Al-Sulami has extended thanks to the Saudi leadership for its support that earned him the presidency of the Arab Parliament.
He praised President of the Saudi Shoura Council Abdullah Al-Asheikh for his efforts which resulted in Al-Salami’s winning the majority of votes and his election as the speaker of the Arab Parliament for two years.
Al-Sulami also thanked the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi Shoura Council members, who are also members of the Arab Parliament, for their role in securing his election.
“I will do my best to make the Arab Parliament a platform for discussing the issues that are of great importance to the Arab public opinion from a perspective that takes into consideration the interests of all member states,” Al-Sulami said.
He added that he will try, in cooperation with the Arab League, to fulfill the aspirations of the member states and the goals of the Arab Parliament in a way that copes with political, economic, social and cultural developments.
Al-Sulami’s statements came as the Arab Parliament convened Saturday at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. The outgoing speaker, Ahmad bin Mohammad Al-Jarwan, stressed that Arab cooperation and integrity are the only way for countering the challenges facing the nation, calling for a united, strong action.
He urged all world parliaments to pressure Israel to recognize the Palestinian state. Al-Jarwan also expressed his unhappiness over the developments of the Syrian crisis, calling for an immediate and complete cease-fire. He stressed that humanitarian aid agencies should be given full access to the areas of conflict to relieve civilian hardship.
Al-Jarwan also demanded that the Iranian regime stop intervening in the affairs of Arab states and abandon its policies aimed at spreading sectarian division in Arab countries.