Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani left Tehran for New York on Saturday to take part in the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, scheduled to be held at the United Nations from August 31 to September 2.
A parliamentary delegation comprised of Moayyed Hosseini Sadr, Ahmadreza Dastgheib, Kazem Jalali, Javad Jahangiri and Alireza Marandi is accompanying Larijani in his trip, IRNA reported.
Prior to his departure, the speaker talked with reporters at Imam Khomeini International Airport.
Larijani said in his speech at the conference he will explain how democratic structures can be applied in practice to promote peace, especially in view of the spread of terrorist groups and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
“The crises in Syria and Yemen can be resolved through democratic means, provided that the will of the two peoples, rather than that of other countries, is taken into account,” he noted.
The senior lawmaker said, “There is a great gap between words and deeds, as we witness wars in the battlefields while in conferences everyone talks about democracy.”
Noting that democracy should serve as a basis to prevent war, and establish peace, he said the conference will explore ways to overcome wars.
Political Solutions
Pointing to the lingering conflict in Palestine, he said, “The countries which claim they are seeking to help achieve global peace need to find a democratic solution to the situation in Palestine, while they often escape [responsibility in this regard].”
Deploring the Saudi-led military assault against the Yemeni people, which has led to destruction of residential areas and infrastructure, he reiterated the call for political dialogue as the only way out of the crisis in the war-ravaged Arab country.
“Some countries suppose they can solve problems through pressure and militarism,” he said, adding that the era of such moves is long over.” Larijani called on the unnamed countries to join the ones who believe in a political solution to the Yemeni crisis.
About 180 parliamentary leaders from 140 countries are going to take part in the summit, convened by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in cooperation with the United Nations. The event is to focus on tackling challenges to peace and democracy.
The Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held in Geneva in July 2010. The event closed with the adoption of a declaration on the need to secure global democratic accountability.
