RIYADH: Speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh will lead the Kingdom’s delegation to the 36th Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The conference will be held in Algiers on May 26-27, and will be attended by heads of parliaments and councils from Arab countries.
In a statement, Al-Sheikh said that the Shoura Council’s participation in the conference stems from the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting joint Arab action, and its continued interest in establishing security, stability, and peace in Arab countries and the world.
The council seeks to support official diplomacy by taking part in regional and international parliamentary meetings and conferences, or through reciprocal visits to enhance parliamentary cooperation with various parliaments around the world, he said.
A consultative meeting between heads of parliaments before the conference will discuss several topics to be presented by its permanent committees, the Palestine Committee; the Social Affairs, Women, Children, and Youth Committee; and the Political Affairs and Parliamentary Relations Committee.
The Shoura Council delegation includes council member and member of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union Bandar bin Mohammed Asiri, council members Issa bin Mohammed Al-Issa and Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, and several council staff members.

RIYADH: The mine action adviser at the UN Office for Project Services, Charles Frizby, has commended the work of Masam teams in Taiz governorate, Yemen.
The praise came during Frizby’s visit to Project Masam’s Team 22 in Taiz, where he was accompanied by Abdul-Qawi Al-Mekhlafi, the deputy governor of Taiz.
Masam is one of several Saudi initiatives set up to clear routes for humanitarian aid to reach Yemen’s citizens.
During the visit, Aref Al-Qahtani, the supervisor of Masam’s demining teams in Taiz, explained to the visiting delegation the nature of the areas where the teams are working.
The delegation was also briefed on the progress of the Masam teams working in 18 districts of Taiz governorate that are contaminated with mines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices.
They also discussed the extent of the damage to schools in the governorate caused by mines and IEDs, where the number of affected schools stands at 84, either completely or partially destroyed.