Arab summit follow-up committee to hold monthly meetings
Morocco-Regional, Politics, 11/11/2000

The follow-up committee to the Arab emergency summit-convened in Cairo October 21-22 -- decided to hold a monthly meeting in one of the committee member countries, said Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa.

Benaissa who is leading the Moroccan delegation to the preparatory meeting of the 9th Islamic summit (November 12-14) told MAP correspondent the committee meeting held Friday in Doha under the chairmanship of Egyptian foreign minister, Amr Moussa, called for coordination between the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict in general and the Palestinian issue in particular.

It has been decided in this respect to set up a coordination committee with the OIC, that will set up mechanisms for a joint action, Benaissa said.

The coordination committee will include Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League Secretariat General and two other members from Africa and Asia to be designated by the OIC.

Benaissa who also announced a meeting of Arab finance ministers on November 23 in Cairo, described the follow-up committee meeting as "important, constructive and positive" and renewed Arab states' attachment to peace, stability and justice.

The follow-up committee is made up of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

He added that the Moroccan delegation to the OIC summit preparatory meeting stressed the need for legislative institutions in Arab countries to back the actions of Arab governments through the international and regional parliamentary platforms such as the international, Arab, African, American and Latin American parliamentary unions.

Renewing Morocco's unfailing backing to the Palestinian cause, Benaissa said Morocco cannot tolerate Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people, its violation of their right and its practices to alter the heritage, and the religious and civilizational landmarks in Palestine. Morocco cannot either tolerate Israel's refusal to grant the Palestinians their right to return to their homeland and to establish their independent state on their land with Al-Quds as its capital.

He renewed Morocco's condemnation of the Israeli war machine that spares neither children and women nor elderly.

As to the declaration on Palestine to be released by the summit, Benaissa said what is important is not the actual declaration but the follow up and implementation of its provisions.

On the sidelines of the preparatory meeting, Benaissa conferred with several of his Arab, African and Asian peers on the agenda of the Islamic summit as well as on Morocco's relations with their respective countries.

The Moroccan official also took part in two meetings that gathered delegates of Arab Mediterranean countries. The meetings identified modalities of these countries' participation as an Arab-Mediterranean group in the Euro-Mediterranean conference scheduled to be held in Marseilles, southern France, November 15.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan house of representatives holds special session on Palestine   (11/9/2000)
  Royal speech on 25th anniversary of Green March   (11/7/2000)
  Closing liaison bureaus with Israel, a sign of backing Palestinians, king   (11/7/2000)

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