Iranian president opens Islamic parliamentary meeting

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday inaugurated ninth session of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) with participation of a Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation, headed by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem. The Islamic Republic of Iran "extends a hand of cooperation and amity and peaceful co-existence to all Islamic countries to realize common political and security objectives and interests," said Rouhani in the opening statement. Muslims nowadays are being targeted with unprecedented pressures, systematic external threats of diverse aspects, starting with (plots) to foil economic development, undermining religious and cultural identity and unity of the Muslims' ranks, he said. "Although some Muslim countries are at present exempted from this operation (conspiracy), these threats actually target all in the long run." Highlighting civilians' plight in Syria, Rouhani expressed deep regret for hardships of civilians who have been deprived of their homes, noting that it is shameful for the nation to see thousands of children in Syria unable to go to school. Rouhani turned to the Palestinians' crisis, noting that many Palestinians do not enjoy minimum standards of living. He expressed hope the conferees would cap their meeting with greater understanding and cooperation. The Kuwaiti delegation, headed by the Parliament Speaker Al-Ghanim, includes MPs Saleh Ashour, Adnan Abdul Samad, Dr. Oudah Al-Ruwaie, National Assembly Secretary General Allam Al-Kanderi and other legislators