Chairman of Shoura Council Dr. Abdullah Al Asheikh gave a speech today at the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in the Ethiopian Capital Addis Ababa. Dr. Al Asheikh, who heads the Kingdom's delegation, stressed in the speech that such meetings enhance dialog among world nations saying that "dialog remains the most important element in the relationship among nations". He also stressed the Kingdom's commitment to dialog citing the King's efforts which culminated in his famous call for inter-faith dialog in Madrid as well as his endeavors to set the scene within his own country through national dialog centers such King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialog. Dr. Al Asheikh also emphasized the King's efforts in expanding public participation as well as his support for freedom of speech. In his speech Dr. Al Asheikh also addressed the economic, political and social changes the world is undergoing stressing the need for "a serious cooperation in creating the right environment for a balanced and peaceful relationship among nations based on compliance by international laws". Addressing the Palestinian issue, Dr. Al Asheikh talked about the atrocities and destruction of infrastructure as well as violations of human rights carried out by the brutal Israeli occupation. He also addressed the issue of world poverty calling for concerted effort to tackle it stressing once again the Kingdom's commitment towards solving poverty problems across the world. Speaking of the world economic situation, Dr. Al Asheikh stressed the need for urgently developing world financial regulatory regimes in order for the current financial crisis to be halted. Dr. Al Asheikh was accompanied by General Secretary of Shoura Council Dr. Mohammed Al Ghamdi and a number of officials.
