KHARTOUM, REPUBLIC OF THE SUDAN
17 JANUARY 2013

SSCP/2-2013/REP.1/FINAL

1. The second Meeting of the Standing Committee on Palestine was held on 17th January 2013 under the chairmanship of H.E. Emrullah I?LER, Representative of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, who was elected to chair the Committee during its first session. The meeting was also attended by H.E. the PUIC Secretary General and a number of Member Parliaments (Annex SSCP/2-2013/LIST.1).
2. The meeting approved its agenda (Annex: SSCP/2-2013/DA.1/FINAL).
3. His Excellency the Secretary General submitted his report on the first Meeting of the Committee which was held in Istanbul, Republic of Turkey, on 2-3 June 2012.
4. The Meeting reviewed the recent developments in the Palestinian arena, focusing on:
   •    The recent Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people; their heroism, sacrifices; upholding to their land; and the solidarity and assistance extended by the Palestinian people in the West Bank to their brethren in the Strip.
   •    UN General Assembly recognition of Palestine as a UN Observer State, as well as the huge international support to Palestine’s  application for UN Observer status, which led to the isolation of Israel.
   •    The urgent need for supporting the Palestinian Authority and people to enable them to confront the big pressure exercised on them by Israel, such as freezing the revenues from taxes, closing crossings and impeding mobility.
   •    The need to support the steadfastness of the citizens of Al Quds and to confront Israeli attempts to isolate the city from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
   •    Necessity of continuation of efforts and meetings in order to achieve Palestinian reconciliation.
   •    Need for exerting additional efforts to inform other peoples, especially the Africans, about the Palestinian cause.
   
   
5. Concerning defining date and venue of the Third Meeting of the Committee, the PUIC General Secretariat has been charged with conducting consultations about the invitation extended by the Palestinian delegation to hold the Meeting in Ramallah, while taking into consideration the practical and logistical obstacles which may impede this move. In case of the failure of these efforts, the meeting shall then be held on the sidelines of the next PUIC Conference in Burkina Faso, or any other country whose Parliament may be nominated to host the committee.
6. The Meeting reviewed the Draft Rules of Procedure presented by the PUIC General Secretariat, and introduced some amendments thereon in preparation for submission to the Political Committee and then to the PUIC Conference for approval.