Parliamentarians active on the international political scene

"The next CSCM must lead to the creation of the Parliament of the Mediterranean"

Mr. Rudy Salles (right), President of the Coordinating Committee of the CSCM process. Photo IPU/ J. Inostrosa

In Santiago, the IPU Council appointed French MP Rudy Salles as President of the Coordinating Committee of the CSCM process, for a two-year term. Mr. Salles explains his priorities to us.

Q : You have been appointed CSCM Coordinator. What are your goals?
Rudy Salles: Our goal is to relaunch the CSCM process – a fine idea launched some ten years ago and aimed at establishing a parliament of the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, this idea has been at a standstill for some time, above all because of the Middle East problem. I would like to relaunch this process, for I believe that in a difficult situation we should not stand idly by. We should try to move ahead, and bring together round a table women and men who have something to say, who can agree on many subjects, but who can also disagree. And we must have the courage to face these disagreements. We parliamentarians do this in our parliaments all the time.

Q : Does this mean that the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions and the CSCM will divide up the work?
R. S.: The IPU was wise enough to set up the CSCM and the Committee on Middle East Questions and to avoid mixing the two up. The Committee on Middle East Questions deals with matters relating to the Middle East and we must be very close to its members to talk with them and determine how we can assist them. But our mandate within the CSCM is the Mediterranean, the related problems and also the promotion of the Mediterranean, an extremely positive aspect. We must put all of the questions on the table in order to see all the problems, such as the pollution issue. When we see the pollution caused by the Prestige in the Atlantic, imagine such a terrible accident in the Mediterranean, which moreover is a closed sea. It would be even worse! This is a subject we could cover in our work. I am going to consult the member parliaments to see what they expect from the CSCM, so as to sum everything up with the two rapporteurs, a Moroccan MP and a Greek MP, who will be working with me. In this way, we can prepare an exhaustive report for the next Assembly in Geneva, in autumn 2003, to know what project and what timetable to choose.

Q : Have you already thought about holding the next Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean?
R. S.: Yes, our idea is to hold a new CSCM (Editor's note: the Fourth CSCM). But there is one condition: we are not going to hold a CSCM for nothing! We must have a CSCM that leads to something, that is to the establishment of the Parliament of the Mediterranean. For years now, we have met to take stock of what was done the previous year, i.e. we have not moved ahead. We must go beyond this stage. I am aware that this will not be easy. At the first meeting of the Coordinating Committee, we sensed a number of potential clashes between the participants, then, later 24 hour, after we had discussed, things started moving again and now all the participants want to move ahead rapidly. I find this encouraging. My goal is to set up this organisation so that we can end up with the establishment of this parliament, enabling us to work to improve the living conditions of the Mediterranean people. The Mediterranean must be a link between us all, because we all need each other.

"Syria supports any proposal to further peace"

The President of the People's Council of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mr. Mohammed Naji Otari, attended the 108th Inter-Parliamentary Conference. He feels that "the IPU is an important organisation for it brings all MPs together. It represents the democratic processes that help to promote peace and security throughout the world". Interview

Q: You are the Speaker of the People’s Council of the Syrian Arab Republic. What do you think of the IPU CSCM process and of the idea floated by Mr. Rudy Salles to organise a new Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean in 2004?
Mohammed Naji Otari: We support any motion that can help to achieve cooperation and security, whether in the Mediterranean or elsewhere. But we have an important issue : the relationship between democracy and development. The greatest obstacle to the development we seek is the question of the occupation of Arab territories by Israel. This makes it a priority to liberate our land, specifically the Golan Heights. Another issue is to have an independent Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital. These issues are essential in the Mediterranean.

Q : The IPU also has a Committee on the Middle East Questions. Is this body important for you ?
M.N.O.: At the beginning, I said that the IPU relies on international legitimacy and principles. The UN has adopted many resolutions on the liberation of the occupied territories. Yet nothing has been done until now and Israel still receives special treatment, leading to a double standard. We find that the question of liberating Arab territories under occupation and full Israeli withdrawal from these territories is the main platform for any kind of dialogue. We cannot have a dialogue with someone who is occupying our land. The Israelis should withdraw and implement the UN decisions.

Mr. Finn Martín Vallersnes chaired a meeting of the Committee on Middle East Questions, which heard Knesset members and a Palestinian delegation in Santiago. Photo IPU/ J. Inostrosa

"The door of the Committee on Middle East Questions remains open to all MPs of the countries concerned"

In Santiago, the IPU Committee on Middle East Question elected a Norwegian MP, Mr. Finn Martin Vallersnes, as its President. It further expressed its regret that the elections to the Knesset held in Israel on 28 January 2003 had led to the cancellation of a meeting between members of the Knesset and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) that the IPU had planned to hold at its Headquarters in Geneva in December 2002. The new Committee President intended to relaunch that initiative, with the support of the Swiss Inter-Parliamentary Group and that of the Manifesto-Movement for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Q : What are your priorities as the new President of the Committee on Middle East Questions ?
Finn Martin Vallersnes: My priority is to continue the good dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians, if possible in the presence of its neighbours. This year we also had the Egyptian and the Jordanian delegations present. Moreover, it is important to determine the possibilities on which we could focus from year to year. This year, the focus was on the role of the quartet, to what extent will the parliamentarians be working to ensure that the governments implement the road map. So we are going to follow that up in the autumn in Geneva. I think this is one of the main possibilities we have these days to take a few steps forward. I think that parliamentarians are a very important part of the total network that has to work together.

Q : Do you think that Syria could also join the meetings of the Committee ?
F.M.V.: I am aware that the Syrians and the Lebanese have been invited to these meetings earlier. They have chosen not to be present, as far as I know, but I think it is important to keep the door open for them. This way, if they want to join the meetings, they will be most welcome.

Q: Do you think there might be a meeting in Geneva between the Israeli and the Palestinian delegations ?
F.M.V.: We have an invitation from the Swiss Inter-Parliamentary Group and we are working with the IPU Secretary General to arrange this in the autumn. I think it must be in autumn. We will certainly try to continue the initiatives that have been taken by our predecessors and I value the initiative taken by the Swiss very highly.

Interview with the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Reuven Rivlin

"We have contacts all the time with anyone who is prepared to talk to us"

Q : The negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians are difficult. What is your position ?
Reuven Rivlin: We are talking and negotiating all the time. Some people say we are talking because we are doomed to live together. I say that to live together properly we have to talk to them [the Palestinians]. But you should only talk to someone you understand and trust. Because if I do not trust you I will not believe you, and if I do not believe you, I will not accept any compromise with you. So we have to believe in someone. Take Abu Mazen (editor's note: the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmud Abbas). We know Abu Mazen very well…For the last two years, he has been saying that we cannot use terror anymore because the whole world is against us and it is not getting us anywhere. So I have a duty to give him a chance. And we will do so. Because with Arafat we have signed the Oslo agreements, which led us to disaster. For example, Abu Mazen can start fighting terror in a constructive way, on the radio, on television, in the schools and kindergartens.

Q : Do you have contacts with the Palestinian Legislative Council ?
R.R.: We have contacts all the time with anyone who is prepared to talk to us. Talking is very important. And to do what Abu Mazen has done is much more important. Here, you are trying to find a new horizon, in order to express a new vision

Q : If the IPU invites MPs from the Knesset to come and meet the members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Geneva, would you accept the invitation ?
R.R.: Of course

Q : You would agree to meet with the representatives of the PLC at IPU Headquarters in Geneva ?
R.R.: Yes, why not ? Every time we are invited to any kind of dialogue, we are ready to talk. But you will have to convince me that I can trust the other person. Because once I talk to him and he makes me a promise I know he cannot keep, my trust is gone. I talk to Mr. Saeb Erekat every day. He is an enemy but we have to talk because we have to get on with our everyday lives. We cannot ignore the needs of our people.