President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has said the prevailing unfriendly economic situation in the world today calls for closer cooperation between Africa and the Arab world even as he reasoned that this would engender strategic partnership to tackle developmental problems.This is just as Speaker of the House of Representatives; Honourable Dimeji Bankole, who yesterday elected the president of Afro-Arab Parliamentary Union, implored legislators from Africa and Arab nations to address the intractable problem between Israel and Palestine. Bankole is to hold the position for two years.Yar' Adua, who made the call while declaring open the 12th Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference in Abuja, said this period when the international community is faced with the realities of the massive global economic downturn is meant to pursue more integration between Africa and the Arab world. He said, "The nations of Africa and the Arab world share a number of cultural and socio-economic similarities and common peculiarities.  In the face of the emerging realities in our rapidly changing globalised world, it is vitally essential for us to work towards achieving improved strategic partnership and productive cooperation in jointly addressing the manifestation of globalisation and our peculiar development challenges. "It is noteworthy and quite encouraging to witness the commitment of parliamentarians from our two blocs to seeking an effective roadmap towards collectively addressing such challenges as economic volatility, endemic poverty, corruption, HIV/AIDS, political instability, illiteracy, and gender imbalance, among others.