HON. GHASSAN TAYARA (SYRIA):

Excuse me. I don't know. Where is the Middle East here? We are from Middle East. We never have justice. This is something that was spoken in Cairo. As you know that we have a global committee on population and development which now is working. Why you don't also say, "Global Committee on Population and Development"?

RAPPORTEUR GENERAL (HON. NAFSIAH MBOI) :

Yes, what he is suggesting. ..

HON. GHASSAN TAYAIRA (SYRIA):

And also, in Copenhagen they spoke about European population and development. Let us say AFPPD and all over the world. That is enough. And I don't want to be I am from Syria, I don't want to be to belong to the Middle East. I belong to Asia. This is the best for us.

Thank you.

RAPPORTEUR GENERAL (HON. NAFSIAH MBOI):

You remember, Last year in Tokyo, we were invited to attend our meeting also. The representative of the parliamentarians of the African and Middle Eastern region, you re-member they were there? They were introduced and they also attended the meeting when we were in Tokyo. That is one group now Africa and Middle Eastern region. It's one group you call that.

But personally, I have no objections to include what Mr. Kusumoto has proposed and you also is to add "closer relations between Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and other regional forums of parliamentarians on population and development, especially in the African Middle Eastern region."

This really is the South-South cooperation. That was explained last year in Tokyo.

Do you still have any principal objection?

HON. GHASSAN TAYARA (SYRIA):

I have no principal objection.

RAPPORTEUR GENERAL (HON . NAF SIAH MBOI) :

You have no principal objection. Thank you.

HON. GHASSAN TAYARA (SYRIA):

I am in principle against the terminology of "Middle East". We speak about Far East, Middle East, and so forth. Why?