Law-Makers Lament Their Helplessness [Archives:1998/11/Front Page]

The Federation of Arab Parliaments projected a visibly subdued mood that permeated the deliberations of its 31st congress. The talks, which started two days ago in Sanaa, will come to an end tomorrow, March 17th.
Twenty delegates made up of speakers of Arab parliaments (both lower and upper houses) and senior legislators were haggling, regarding ways and means to give meaning to their role in a changing political structure. “In most cases, the parliamentarians are captive to the executive branch of authority. They carry out orders from presidents, prime ministers, and even lower ranking executives.” More on Page Law & Dep.

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