Asian parliament leaders meet today

Speaker Jose de Venecia will convene today the executive council of the Asian Parliaments for Peace (APP).

As APP president, he will finalize its next general assembly agenda to re-emphasize the theme of peace in the region amid a continuing battle against terrorism.

Among the participants are Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the Cambodian National Assembly; Speaker Taranath Ranabhat of Nepal, and Speaker Mahmoud Al-Abrache of Syria.

Three parliament vice-chairmen heading their delegations are Askar Hakimov of Tajikistan, Lu Congmin of China, and Deputy Speaker Sardar Muhammad Yaqub of Pakistan.

De Venecia presided at the fourth APP General Assembly last year where the Manila Declaration was drawn up by the 38-member association endorsing, among other initiatives, De Venecia’s vision of a hundred years of peace in Asia and promising to study the feasibility of his proposal for regional economic and political integration.

De Venecia’s peace vision and a strong initiative to provide funding for small rural and urban entrepreneurs from the poorest in Asia through a proposed Asian Anti-Poverty Fund are expected to be carried over into the next general assembly in Pakistan.

De Venecia will welcome the heads of delegations at a formal breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Manila Hotel’s Champagne Salon before the executive council goes into its first session at 9 a.m.

He will deliver the opening remarks to be followed by statements from the heads of delegations.

The afternoon session begins at 2 p.m. after a two-hour lunch break.

Pakistan is expected to report on its preparations as general assembly host, while the final schedule and agenda will be finalized by the Council meeting.

The parliaments represented in the meeting are from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, South Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan and Vietnam.

All the delegates were expected to arrive last night in Manila.

The executive council is composed of the APP president, vice-president, and one member from each country.

The delegates are scheduled to make a courtesy call on President Arroyo at Malacañang at 5:30 p.m.

De Venecia will host a dinner at 8 p.m. in honor of the delegates.

Twenty nations represented by about 60 delegates, including those from the Philippines, are in attendance in this day-long meeting in Manila.

Pakistan will host the fifth general assembly in Islamabad late this year. The Philippines hosted the fourth General Assembly in September last year. — Paolo Romero