René van der Linden (RvE) bezoekt Midden-Oosten vanwege vredesinitiatieven (en)

Press release - 546(2007)

PACE President visits Middle East to encourage current opportunities for peace

Strasbourg, 16.08.2007 - René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is to make an official visit to the Middle East from 18-24 August 2007 with the aim of encouraging opportunities presented by the current situation to achieve sustainable peace in the region and to promote inter-religious dialogue. He will visit Jordan (18-20 August), Israel (20-22 August) and the Palestinian Territories (23-24 August).

The Parliamentary Assembly - made up of 318 parliamentarians from the 47 Council of Europe member states - regularly debates the situation in the Middle East and brings together parliamentarians from all sides in the conflict. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Israeli Knesset's observer status with the Assembly; in recent years, the Assembly has also developed formal, structured working relations with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

In Jordan (18-20 August), Mr van der Linden will hold a private audience with King AbdullahII (to be confirmed) and will meet Prime Minister Makhouf Bakhet and the President of the Senate Zaid Al Rifai, as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdulhadi Majali.

In Israel (20-22 August), he will meet President Shimon Peres and Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon, as well as the Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik. He will also meet the Chief Rabbis in Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and participate in an Inter-religious Forum. In Jerusalem he will visit the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial, and meet the families of abducted soldiers; he will also visit Sderot, close to Gaza, which has been subject to rocket attacks.

In the Palestinian Territories (23-24 August), he will meet President Mahmoud Abbas (to be confirmed) and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, as well as PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat and PLC Second Deputy Speaker Hasan Khreishe, among others. He is also due to visit the tomb of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and meet the families of PLC members detained by the Israeli authorities (to be confirmed).

Contacts:

David Milner, Private Office of the President, mobile: +336 62 13 93 51.

Hester Menninga, Advisor to the European Office of the Dutch Senate, mobile +31 652 435 090.

In Strasbourg: PACE Communication Unit, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93.

Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit

Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93

Fax : +33 3 90 21 41 34

pace.com@coe.int

www.coe.int/press