PHOTO: MENAFN - Jordan News Agency. Speaker of the Lower House of Jordan’s Parliament Atif Tarawneh.
On July 22, 2019, Speaker of the Lower House of Jordan’s Parliament Atif Tarawneh discussed with President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces the relationship between Jordan and the UN and a number of Middle East issues.
Speaker Tarawneh underlined the need to maintain support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to help it carry out its role in the provision of healthcare and education services to the Palestinian refugees. He said that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, will continue to defend the Palestinian cause and protect Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He added that the Kingdom will continue its efforts and coordination with partners and friends in various countries to ensure support for the UNRWA.
The Speaker noted that the Palestinian people continues to suffer from racist practices by Israeli authorities, pointing out that Israel does not respect international treaties and conventions, and continues to expand settlement construction, confiscation of land and expulsion of Palestinians. "International organizations, bodies and institutions today have a great responsibility in applying their decisions to all. Otherwise, the continuation of certain parties to violate international legitimacy would undermine the efforts of these organizations to bring peace and security", Tarawneh emphasized.
On regional crises, the Lower House Speaker highlighted Jordan's efforts towards the refugees and the burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result, stressing that Jordan has been acting on behalf of the international community in caring for hundreds of thousands of refugees despite limited resources.
UNGA President Espinosa said that Jordan has always presented a balanced and wise vision, made efforts in the service of humanity and has been suffering from enormous burden of refugee crises since a long time. She underlined the importance of stimulating the international response to support Jordan and urging all key stakeholders to fulfill their obligations towards the Kingdom and refugee-host countries.
She added that the UNGA was concerned with continuing efforts to support UNRWA and would spare no effort in providing support to enable it to continue its role in the service and care of refugees. She also stressed the importance of the partnership with Jordan in areas of promoting sustainable development and empowering women, hailing Jordan's commitment to the latest international conventions and charters related to climate change.
https://menafn.com/1098788058/Jordan-Parliament-Speaker-meets-with-UNGA-president
PHOTO: Dutch UN peacekeepers sit on top of an armored personnel carrier while Muslim refugees from Srebrenica gather in the village of Potocari, just north of Srebrenica, on July 13, 1995.
On July 19, 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court has upheld an earlier ruling that found the Netherlands partly liable for the deaths of 350 Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995 during the Bosnian War.
The Court said that Dutch United Nations peacekeepers evacuated the men from their military base near Srebrenica on July 13, 1995, despite knowing that they "were in serious jeopardy of being abused and murdered" by Bosnian Serb forces.
Dutch peacekeepers "acted unlawfully in the evacuation of 350 men," the court found. "They took away the chance of the men to stay out of the hands of the Bosnian Serbs." Judge Kees Streefkerk said "the state did act wrongfully" and told relatives of the dead they can now claim compensation from the Dutch government.
The ruling was the latest in a long-running legal battle by a group of relatives known as The Mothers of Srebrenica to hold the Dutch government liable for the deaths of their family members. "They are responsible, regardless of how much they think they're not," Munira Subasic, the head of the group, said. "There's no eraser they can use to delete their responsibility." She said the group would take the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Altogether, more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb troops under the command of General Ratko Mladic in Srebrenica in July 1995, the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II. Many of the victims had fled to the UN-declared "safe zone" in Srebrenica, only to find the outnumbered Dutch troops there unable to defend them.
Earlier on July 11, thousands of people gathered in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the 24th anniversary of the massacre. In a joint statement, European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn described the "genocide" in Srebrenica as "one of the darkest moments of humanity in modern European history."
https://www.rferl.org/a/dutch-supreme-court-upholds-ruling-netherlands-was-partially-liable-for-srebrenica-deaths/30064628.html
https://www.rferl.org/a/thousands-honor-victims-of-srebrenica-massacre-on-24th-anniversary/30049610.html
PHOTO: Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim
Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said during a press conference on July 21 that a comprehensive and just solution to the ‘illegal residents’ (Bedouns) issue will be laid down during the summer period. Speaker Al-Ghanim pointed out that it is unacceptable to meddle with and complicate the citizenship and national identity issues.
He emphasized the importance of this initiative, affirming that it is in accordance with the instructions of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He said the Bedoun issue should not be subjected to political meddling and it should not be an item in political negotiations, indicating the national identity and Kuwaiti citizenship files are red lines nobody should cross.
He confirmed there is a governmental initiative to solve the ‘illegal residents’ issue, but it was not announced in order to ensure its success and to prevent parties with ill intentions from benefiting from the process or result. He explained that he cannot divulge details as talks and deliberations between the Parliament, government and other concerned authorities on several points are still underway.
He reiterated the solution will be just and conclusive, taking into account all humanitarian aspects without any effect on national identity. He said the Parliament will endorse the solution by the beginning of the next legislative round; but if circumstances demand for earlier approval, a special legislative session will be held. He expressed his hope that this generation will put an end to the issue once and for all.
The Speaker also discussed Deputy Parliament Speaker Eissa Al-Kandari’s proposal to establish a National Council for Women as per the request of the Women and Family Affairs Committee. The Speaker said that the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee will continue to review the constitutionality of the request, and invite Members of Parliament to a discussion of the proposal.
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/comprehensive-solution-to-bedouns-issue-expected-soon-says-speaker/
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)
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