SANA'A, (Saba)- Under the patronage of president Ali Abdullah Saleh the Cultures Bridge Forum would hold next Wednesday the first Sana'a forum on democracy in the Arab world.

Preparations for the forum are being taken by the Cultures Bridge Forum in collaboration with the National Center for Human Rights and Democracy Development, the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies and the General Union of the Arab Women.

Representatives from non-governmental organizations of 17 Arab states would take part in the two-day forum, head of the Cultures Bridges Forum, chairman of the Preparatory Committee Abdul Karim al-Iryani, who is also the political advisor of president, said.

" The Forum would be a message to spread democracy and a call for reform and the law rule in the Arab states", al-Iryani said, adding that the aim of the forum is also to fulfill the Arab need of establishing a strategy for the Arab civil society to be able to
realize regional democratic aspirations.

According to an official source, the forum would discuss four main hubs related to wise governance, elections, empowering women, freedom of speech and democratic education in curriculums.

Al-Iryani hopes the presentations to enrich the forum with expertise and recommendations which would be a guide in the coming years.

Noteworthy, the forum comes as a result of efforts the Cultures Bridge Forum has exerted as it was the first to call for the establishment of the Arab Democratic Union and the creation of the Arab Democratic Convention as well as due to the efforts of heads of Arab civil society organizations.

On the other hand, elections for the general secretary of the Arab Democratic Union would proceed the forum while the results would be announced during the forum activities. 

FR/NS

Saba