President Rafael Correa of Ecuador opened last night the 128th session of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU).The meetings are being attended by a delegation from the UAE Federal National Council (FNC), headed by Deputy Speaker Dr Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi.President Correa stressed in his opening speech the importance of adopting democracy as the ideal form of governance. He also referred to the key role played by parliaments in achieving peoples\' aspirations and voicing their issues to their governments.He added that democracy should always be coupled with economic and social development.Meanwhile, the parliamentary delegations of GCC countries expressed their support to a proposal tabled by the UAE parliamentary division to the IPU\'s Standing Committee on Peace and International Security to reach an international consensus on incriminating abuse of religious symbols and to emphasise respect among different religions and cultures of the world as a key requirement for peace and security.The GCC parliamentary delegation held a coordination meeting at the sidelines of the IPU 128th session during which they discussed items on the session\'s agenda.