Larijani to attend Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting

Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani is to attend the seventh General Assembly of the Islamic Inter-Parliamentary Union (IIPU) in Malaysia on Sunday, it was announced on Saturday. Larijani is to deliver a keynote speech in the two-day conference which will be held from January 31 to February 1 in the city of Palembang. The Iranian Majlis speaker is scheduled to confer with his counterparts as well as other top officials from other Islamic countries during the two day confab. The agenda of the meeting includes Islamic awakening, a survey on global financial crisis, the current status of holy Qods, membership of Palestine in the United Nations, A Middle East free from weapons of mass destructions, new technological know-how, peaceful use of nuclear energy, fight against terrorism and sustainable development. 33 out of 51 IIPU member states have voiced readiness to attend the conference. Some 15 countries will send their parliament speakers while the remaining will be represented by parliamentary delegations. Parliament speakers from Malaysia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sudan, Qatar, Cameron and the Islamic Republic of Iran will take part in the meeting. IIPU was established upon initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to review issues pertaining to Islamic societies.