There can be no reason or circumstance to justify the use of chemical weapons anywhere and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly should once more call on all parties to engage seriously and constructively towards the achievement of stability and reconciliation in the interest of the people of Syria and the region as a whole.
So said National Assembly (NA) Speaker, Mr Max Sisulu, at the 129th IPU Assembly in Switzerland, during debate on: “The role of Parliaments in supervising the ban on the use and destruction of chemical weapons”.
In his contribution to the topic, Mr Sisulu also urged that the United Nations Security Council use its powers to focus attention on the dire humanitarian situation and the political crisis in Syria.
“We call on regional stakeholders to challenge those who seek to undermine the process underway,” he said.
“Side by side with our governments, Parliaments must use their voice to raise awareness about the catastrophic consequences of the continued bloodbath and use of chemical weapons.
“Parliaments have a crucial role to play in not only ratifying international agreements but ensuring that our governments implement and comply with the obligations arising from these agreements. Parliament must also ensure that international agreements such as the Convention on Chemical Weapons are domesticated and translated into national legislation,” Mr Sisulu said.
He noted that the South African Parliament passed legislation which provides for the control of weapons of mass destruction and the establishment of a National Council to control and manage all activities relating to non-proliferation. The Council submitted annual reports on its activities for Parliament’s consideration. South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on Chemical Weapons.
Mr Sisulu urged: “The destruction of chemical weapons should not end with Syria. This is an opportunity for others who have not signed the UN convention to do so and those who are guilty of stockpiling to destroy such harmful weapons.
“There cannot be any rationale for producing these weapons which has the potential to destroy our world. All of us have a duty to preserve our world, for now and for generations to come,” he said.
Mr Sisulu is leading a delegation of Members of Parliament from South Africa to the 129th meeting of the Assembly, which will deal with elections of the IPU president and vice-presidents, a range of panel discussions and a report from the IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs.
Alongside the Assembly’s discussions are a series of meetings of the Association of Secretaries-general of Parliament. These have focused on sharing experiences of how to make Parliaments operate more effectively and efficiently.
The Deputy Secretary to Parliament, Ms Penelope “Baby” Tyawa, is part of those meetings, which have drawn together new Secretaries-general from 11 Parliaments, among others.
A number of presentations have dealt with increasing access to Parliament through the use of ICT. Presentations have been received from, among others, the Netherlands Parliament, the Secretary-general of the National Assembly of North Korea and the Secretary-general of the Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The South African Parliament has been a member of the IPU since 1994, following a resolution adopted on 8 September 1994 by both Houses of Parliament.
