Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The regional meeting of the Middle East and North Africa countries (MENA), being held in cooperation with the parliament of Jordan, began Wednesday in Amman.

Those attending the three day meeting are discussing the theme ‘Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons – Responsibilities, Challenges and Opportunities for Middle Eastern and North African States’.

Participants will discuss the threat of weapons to development, democracy and security in many parts of the world.

Speaking at the meeting, Lower House Deputy Speaker Ahmad Safadi said that the Parliamentary Forum on the arms and weapons was founded in 1999 by parliamentary initiatives to a platform for greater action.

The forum, he added, is the only global network of parliamentarians specifically dedicated to matters of arms control and violence prevention.

It's mission is to support parliamentarians in their small arms-related work, contributing to the advancement of the small arms agenda and providing a space for parliamentarians to meet and join forces with others with a concern about such issues, such as civil society organizations, the MP said.

"Although the forum was founded as an initiative of parliamentarians from Central America and Europe, today it unites parliamentarians from various political factions in Latin America, Africa and Europe," Safadi noted.

General Secretary of the forum, Peter Weiderud, said that since its establishment in 1999, the forum sought to reduce the distribution of small arms and light weapons, which have spread throughout global markets.

Through the national parliaments, the forum seeks to develop new legislation to control the distribution of these weapons, he said.

It also works to enact amendments to existing laws on arms trade and toughen sanctions against those who trade weapons illegally, Weiderud added.