Brussels, 21/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Political, Security and Human Rights Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) is to meet on 25 January in Brussels. The meeting, the second since EMPA's establishment in March 2004, is expected to finalise the constitution of the Commission's bureau. Its chairman, Tokia Sälfi (EPP-ED, France) will above all report on the dealings actively conducted in Brussels last September and during the meeting of the EMPA Bureau on 24 November last in Cairo to settle a dispute on the designation of vice-presidents. Last September, Syria and Lebanon had questioned the agreement reached during the constituent session to give the three vice-presidencies to Israel, Palestine and Spain. These two countries challenged the designation of an Israeli to hold the first vice-presidency of the political committee. A compromise is in sight and a final agreement may be reached next Tuesday, essentially aimed at placing the three vice-presidents on an equal footing. Nothing has yet been decided, however, some European parliamentary sources say, and new developments cannot be ruled out.
It is included on the meeting's agenda that MEPs, and the parliamentarians of EU Member States and of partner countries who make up the committee will take stock of the situation after the presidential elections in Palestine on the basis of a report by British Conservative Edward Mac Millan Scott, who headed the ad hoc observer delegation for the European Parliament. Also, a presentation by the European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbour Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will allow stock to be taken of the Barcelona Process before the second APEM plenary session from 11 to 15 March, in Egypt. EP Vice-President Antonios Trakatellis (EPP-ED, Greece) will on this occasion present his initiative for establishing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the prevention of natural disasters, drawing lessons from the tsunami that hit Asia recently (yesterday's EUROPE, p;10).