Bangkok: Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Federal National Council (FNC), yesterday demanded the formation of a committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to determine the situation in occupied Jerusalem.

Al Ghurair, in an address to the 122nd session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), currently being held in Bangkok, said that the UAE believes that Iran's occupation of three UAE islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb and Abu Mousa is a negation of the principles of good governance since the UAE calls to resolve the dispute by peaceful means in conformity with the norms of international law and the UN charter.

In this regard he suggested holding an international parliamentary conference specialised in good governance in the management of international relations. He also demanded the ruling Council of IPU to study the "role of parliamentarians" in resolving differences and political conflicts between states especially in the light of the complexities of international relations and the extension of areas of conflict to all regions of the world.

Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, a member of the delegation of the FNC, said that Israel has violated international conventions on urban heritage and tortured Palestinian women and children.

Amal described Israel as a state that disobeys international laws, resorts to international terrorism, and infringes on sovereignty of other states, as shown recently by the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Dubai.

Amal was responding on behalf to an Israeli representative's rejection of UAE's demand to form an investigative committee of the IPU to look into the situation in occupied Jerusalem.

With regard to UAE women, Amal pointed out that the UAE is making great efforts to empower women politically, culturally, socially and economically and to ensure their participation in parliamentary politics in general.

She also said that the UAE has achieved the Millennium Development Goals stated by the Inter-Parliamentary Union before the deadline of 2015, and that the UAE ranks higher than Israel with regard to the criterion of gender empowerment as it is ranked 17, while Israel is ranked 24 at international level.

Amal added that UAE women occupy 23 per cent of parliament seats, 8 per cent of ministerial posts, 33 senior leadership positions and 66 per cent of important positions.