02/03/2010 President
Strasbourg, 02.03.2010 – Delegations from the Israeli Knesset and the Palestinian Legislative Council are to continue discussing ways of fostering contact and building confidence at a meeting of the Sub-committee on the Middle East of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) taking place on 4-5 March 2010 in Izmir, Turkey.
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu will address the meeting, along with the Governor of Izmir Cahit Kiraç and other leading Turkish officials. There will also be an exchange of views with experts working on Turkish initiatives to build confidence in the region.
The Israeli Knesset holds observer status with PACE, and Palestinian representatives regularly attend Assembly sessions. Parliamentarians from both sides met in June 2008, together with members of the Assembly, in a “Tripartite Forum” aimed at fostering direct contacts and building confidence as a complement to higher-level peace talks.
In a January resolution, following a debate attended by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon and Palestinian Public Works Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Assembly said the “undue slowness” of the peace process was causing frustration and bitterness, and called on both parties to pursue negotiations.