By KUNA,
Brussels : President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, also current President of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), has proposed that the next meeting of EMPA discusses including two parliamentarians from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as observers.
An EP statement released here on Monday said Poettering made the proposal during talks with Qatari officials in Doha yesterday. One of the topics discussed was the role of the Gulf States in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The EMPA, established in 2003, consists of 240 parliamentarians, of which 120 are Europeans, 75 from the national parliaments of EU states, 45 from the European Parliament, 120 from the national parliaments of the ten Mediterranean partners — Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
The EP president ended an official visit to Qatar, early today, during which he met with the Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, and Speaker of the Majlis Esh-Shoura of Qatar (Advisory Council), Mohamed bin Mubarak.
The two sides discussed EU’s relationship with Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), energy cooperation, the Middle East peace process, Iran and regional stability, as well as issues of religion and tolerance in the context of intercultural dialogue.
Poettering also delivered a key-note speech at the opening ceremony of the 8th Doha Forum, which dealt with international peace and dialogue, democracy and human rights promotion, free trade and development, economic and social reforms.
The visit to Qatar was the first visit by Poettering to a GCC country.