LOC17:10
14:10 GMT
By Talal Al-Kandari
PARIS, April 11 (KUNA) -- Members of the Kuwaiti National Assembly
(parliament) lauded here Sunday the tour organized by the French National
Foundation of Political Sciences (Sciences Po) to France and Belgium.
MPs Abdulrahman Al-Enjery and Assil Al-Awadhi asserted in a statement to
KUNA at the close of their tour that it was a successful and fruitful one as
they exchanged views and reviewed issues in various fields, especially on
women and finance.
Al-Enjery said that this visit to the European Union states was fruitful as
he met with a group of officials, who are interested in the Middle East and
the Gulf region, as well as some members of the European parliament.
He added that many discussions were held on several issues, especially the
economic ones in view of the economic difficulties seen by some member states
of the European Union, especially those related to public debt and its
proportion to the gross domestic product (GDP).
He went on to say that meetings were attended by state officials,
parliamentarians, journalists, economists and academicians, and focused on
economic and women issues.
He also said that this was an opportunity to learn from the time-honored
French democracy.
On her part, Al-Awadhi affirmed that the visit centered on the role of the
Kuwaiti woman in all fields, especially the political one.
"We have felt a great interest in the joining of parliament by Kuwaiti
women and thrashed out the challenges faced by women inside the parliament and
their role in the parliamentary committees," Al-Awadhi explained.
She also said that stress was put on the empowerment of women and the
gender equality as women are an effective element of development, pointing out
that she sensed the satisfaction engendered about these discussions.
Al-Awadhi went on to say that some questions were posed on the domestic
workers law and "we made clear that government is about to submit a bill in
this respect that attends to the rights of all members of this category and
human rights and we have also explained the new labor law that came in favor
of laborers."
She also made clear that she felt an interest in boosting ties with the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states at all levels and an interest in
exchanging visits at the level of the members of parliaments from the French
and European parliaments.
Further, Al-Enjery and Al-Awadhi held a meeting in Paris with officials in
the Sciences Po foundation, head of the financial committee in the French
parliament Jerome Cahuzac and director of the Middle East and Northern Africa
Department in the French Foreign Ministry Patric Paoli.
They also met with some officials from the Ministry of Finance and
chairperson of the French-GCC parliamentary friendship group Philippe Marini.
Additionally, the Kuwaiti members of parliament held a meeting with
executive manager of the French Nuclear Group (Areva) Anne Lauvergon,
editor-in-chief at Le Monde Diplomatique Alin Gresh, director of the women's
forum Aude de Thuin and members of the French-Kuwaiti parliamentary friendship
committee.
Al-Enjery and Al-Awadhi held a press conference at the Arab Press Society
and delivered a lecture at the political sciences university (Sciences Po)
titled "Women and Politics in the Gulf, especially in Kuwait".
As for Brussels, Al-Enjery and Al-Awadhi held a meeting with director of
the Middle East and Western Mediterranean Section in the European Commission
Tomas Del Moral, member of the Arab affairs committee in the European
parliament Anna Bildt, Vice Speaker of the European Parliament (EP) Rodi
Kratsa and some EP members.
The tour made by the two members of the Kuwaiti National Assembly came at
the invitation of the French National Foundation of Political Sciences
(Sciences Po) as part of the "Kuwait Sciences Po" program signed between this
French foundation and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences
(KFAS). (end)
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