[autom.vertaling] De Arabische en Europese Parlementariërs keuren gezamenlijke verklaring over het Midden-Oosten goed (en)

President Borrell agreed a joint statement today with the Presidents of the Greek, Egyptian and Tunisian Parliaments on the situation in Lebanon. Condemning the military attacks, and particularly the civilian casualties, it calls for the UN Security Council "to assume its responsibility and to adopt a resolution for an immediate ceasefire" and on the European Union to take a "strong, clear and determined role ... in order to re-establish the dialogue between all parties concerned".

In comments on the statement, Mr. Borrell said the following:

"This statement is the first time since the Lebanon crisis has begun that politicians from Europe and from the Arab World have spoken with a common voice. I hope that our words will help to break the deadlock at the UN Security Council with our appeal for common sense."

The signatories make up the Bureau of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), an Assembly bringing together parliamentarians from the European Parliament, the 25 EU national parliaments, and the parliaments of the EU's 10 Mediterranean partners.

"We are appealing to all of EMPA's member parliaments to exert influence on their respective governments to put an end to this senseless and barbaric conflict. There are moments when elected parliamentarians must raise their voices in the interests of our common humanity"

In a separate statement, the parliamentarians condemned the arrest of the President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr. Aziz Dweik, as an attack on the democratic values expressed by the Palestinian people.