PACE itself wants to look at the situation in the Middle East

On Friday PACE Bureau will be discussing the issue of sending the assembly's delegation to the Middle East. Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation to PACE, Chairman of the international committee of the Federation Council Mikhail Margelov said this while calling from Strasbourg. On Thursday he made a report at the PACE's session on the Middle East situation on behalf of the assembly's political commission. If the Bureau backs his proposal the delegation will be sent to the Middle East early in June. According to the senator the task of the mission is "to see everything with one's own eyes and inform PACE." "The delegation is expected to draw conclusions as to the actual situation in the Middle East, the Israelis' life in Palestine and the Palestinians' life in Israel," he said. The results of the mission will allow PACE to determine its role as a political mediator in the settlement of the Middle East conflict. At the same time Margelov stressed that both Israeli and Palestinian representatives were interested in PACE as a mediator. Moreover ,the Israeli side "assured PACE that the latter will gain access to everything." Margelov thinks that his report on the Middle East and the adopted resolution has started bringing results. The senator explained that on Thursday the working session of the subcommittee on the Middle East of PACE Political Commission decided to suggest that the PACE Bureau should send a delegation to the Middle East. The working session was attended by the representatives of the Israeli knesset and the Palestinian National Legislative Council.