Monday, April 28, 2008
Indonesian MP Appointed Vice President of IPU's Executive Committee
Source: Antara News

Jakarta - Chief of the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Board at the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Abdillah Toha has been appointed vice president of the executive committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Toha was appointed vice president of the executive committee for Asia and the Pacific at the IPU's 118th session in Cape Town, South Africa, on April 18, the DPR said in its official website on Sunday.

Meanwhile, A Kozlovsky was appointed vice president of the executive committee for Russia and Papadimitriou vice president of the executive committee for Greece.

"This (Toha's appointment) is IPU member states' appreciation and recognition of Indonesia's active role and leadership at the IPU," the information service of the DPR's Secretariat General quoted Toha at the weekend as saying.

Vice president of the executive committee is one of the important posts at the IPU which plays a strategic role in the leadership of the world parliamentary organization.

In addition to representing the president of the executive committee who is ex-officio IPU president to chair executive committee meetings, the vice president of the executive committee also serves as acting IPU president particularly in chairing governing council meetings.

The vice president of the executive committee will automatically serve as IPU president if the latter resigns or is discharged before his/her term of office expires.

Besides Toha, a number of Indonesian lawmakers currently also occupy important posts at the IPU, including Simon Patrice Morin as vice chief of the 1st standing committee, Aisyah Baidlowi as a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Meeting of Woman Parliamentarians, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq as a member of the Committee of Middle East Questions, and Prof Wila Chandrawila Supriadi as a permanent member of the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law.

The IPU's 118th session was attended by 135 parliamentary delegations from 146 IPU member countries.