Brussels, 02/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Euromed Parliamentary Assembly will hold its seventh plenary session in Rome on 3 and 4 March. The presidency of this assembly is currently held by Italy, and its bureau also includes, in addition to representatives of Jordan and Morocco, a fourth permanent member: the president of the European Parliament. This session will take place against the extraordinary backdrop of the current unrest in several member countries of the southern shore. The situation could lead to low turnout. 46 MEPs are also members.
The other, older, local assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, which brings the presidents of the neighbouring parliaments of the Mediterranean basin together directly, has announced that it will carry out visits to north Africa. In a declaration of which we have had sight, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean indicates that it is “following with great concern the evolution of the current situation in the region, particularly on the basis of recent information received from Libya, where the situation is considered critical, unstable and unpredictable” (our translation). The PAM “calls for an immediate and total halt to all forms of violence, respect for human rights and protection for the civilian population”. Its secretary general, Dr Sergio Piazzi, was received on 16 February by the Pope, who “expressed his support for the mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in these times of crucial changes in the region”. (F.B./transl.fl)