Al-Ghanim: Parliamentary diplomacy on Palestinian cause is legitimate duty

The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) must pursue efforts to serve the Palestinian cause and to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people through "parliamentary diplomacy", said its chief Marzouq Al-Ghanim.The speaker of Kuwait's National Assembly made the comments on the sidelines of the AIPU's third conference, which is specifically being dedicated to discussing Palestinian affairs.After being united on the agenda, AIPU member states have agreed to dispatch delegations to permanent member nations of the Security Council and influential international organisations, along with "collecting evidence that will back our arguments at international meetings", he said."We need to increase our parliamentary diplomacy because this is a legitimate duty, first and foremost, as well as a national and patriotic duty, " he stressed.Other regional issues like Syria and Iraq would not be on the agenda, as he suggested the issue of Palestine "hurts and humiliates every Arab and Muslim".For his part, Oil Minister and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Ali Al-Omair reiterated the emphasis on the focus on the Palestinian issue.