Arab foreign ministers meet in Cairo
Regional, Politics, 10/20/2000

The Arab foreign ministers on Thursday held a close- door consultation meeting on the draft relating to the final statement to reach a final formula to be submitted to the Arab leaders summit due tomorrow.

The Arab foreign ministers discussed under the chairmanship of the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara their first work session on Thursday morning with the aim of completing discussions on the agenda. The agenda is based on two main points: Arab conditions in the occupied territories and means of backing Jerusalem and Palestine and approving the mechanism of the Arab summit.

In a speech he made, the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara called upon those Arabs who: " have ties with Israel to severe relations and to halt all forms of normalization with Israel," adding that " the ties with Israel have had adverse impact on Arabs and were best used by Israel."

He continued that this coming Arab summit is held under a new crucial and grave stage the entire Arab nation is passing through and requires much vigilance and comprehensive vision with a view of adoting a united Arab stance capable of dealing properly with the Arab- Israeli conflict and of giving a clear message that the strategic option for peace was adopted not for the purpose of others (Israel) to try to impose conditions on the Arabs.

Al-Shara said that among other things: " the message was clearly pointed out in terms of two main events in the current year or in the outgoing century. The first event is represented by the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from South Lebanon, which was achieved thanks to the Lebanese national resistance, the steadfastness of the Lebanese people and the pan- Arab solidarity with this resistance.

Israel preferred to pull out of Lebanon without meeting the demands of peace as provided for in the resolutions of the International legitimacy. And hence, Israel bears the responsibility of what has happened in South Lebanon and is still held responsible for tension and escalation in southern Lebanon because it was the party which first started escalation and refused peace requirements on the Lebanese track as approved by the Madrid's terms of reference and legitimacy resolutions."

"The second event is al-Aqsa uprising which brought priorities back to a better situation as regards the Arabs central issue. Some forgot about those priorities and considered same as marginal while the region's security, stability and prosperity are closely associated with those priorities and their outcomes."

Al-Shara continued " we are facing a critical point. We either allow Israel to impose conditions on us or mount the struggle to impose the international legitimacy on Israel and its backers. The question is not black or white or either peace or war. The objective is not so. We are against peace imposed by Israel and its backers, against peace similar to surrender and against peace that encroaches upon rights and does not return all our occupied territories. We are also against half-way solutions. We advocate peace that strengthens our national dignity."

He called for the continuation of rendering support for the Palestinian people, stressing that Syria will be the first contributor and founder of a fund to back the uprising and South Lebanon.

He also called for strengthening the national Palestinian unity under the current stage of the Arab nation's life, stressing that the summit has to adopt a national stand based on maintaining Arab steadfastness and on sustaining the deep faith in the justice of the nation's cause and in the international legitimacy."

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak to inaugurate Arab Summit Saturday   (10/19/2000)
  On President Bashar al-Assad's concluded visits to Saudi Arabia, Jordan   (10/19/2000)
  Arab foreign ministers meet today in Cairo   (10/19/2000)

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