Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move—

That the House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

the 19 June 2008 marks the 63rd birthday of Nobel laureate and leader of the democracy movement in Burma, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi;

(b)

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under house arrest since May 2003, and periodically before then since 1989;

(c)

the Burmese military dictatorship has refused to acknowledge the results of the 1990 election, in which the National League for Democracy of which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was General Secretary, won an overwhelming majority; and

(d)

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has refused a number of opportunities to leave Burma, even to visit her dying husband, knowing that she would be denied the right to return to continue the struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma;

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to move—

That the House:

(1)

recognises the social, economic and human cost of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict;

(2)

notes the broader implications of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in terms of regional stability as well as diplomatic relations in the Middle East;

(3)

condemns all forms of violence as an obstacle to peace;

(4)

supports the renewal of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a just and lasting peace and recognises the efforts of the Quartet-led Road Map to peace in the Middle East;

(5)

notes the Middle East peace initiative formally announced by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah during a meeting of the Arab League Summit in Beirut in March 2003;

(6)

acknowledges that a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must necessarily involve both parties reaching agreement on final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem, the Right of Return for Palestinian refugees, settlements, security, borders and water;

(7)

supports the Australian Government’s recent decision to increase Australia’s development assistance program to the Palestinian Territories; and

(8)

believes that Australia has an important role to play as a middle power in encouraging peace initiatives between Palestinians and Israelis that are consistent with Australia’s commitment to multilateral diplomacy, responsible international citizenship and the principles of international law.