Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted on 4 October to grant “Partner for democracy” status to the Palestinian National Council – only the second time such status has been accorded. Presenting the report at today’s debate, Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL) said the status “created new opportunities for the Palestinian people” and could be seen as part of the Arab Spring. The Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Salim Al-Za’noon hailed the decision as “historic” and said it could contribute to establishing peace in the region. (more...)

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Adopted text
Report
Debate verbatim
Voting result
Speech by Salim Al-Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council
Video of the speech by Salim Al-Za'noon, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council
Remarks by PACE President
Conditions for the granting of “Partner for democracy” status (Rule 60)