Moussa undertakes his new responsibilities
Regional, Politics, 5/17/2001

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa took up a new post by making an exploratory visit to the various departments of the secretariat general.

During his tour of the building, Moussa spoke about some ideas to render the Arab League into a successful regional organization of that it might be capable of pushing forward the joint Arab action.

On his first day in the Arab League, Secretary General Amr Moussa mulled with Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat arrangements for holding an extraordinary session of the follow-up committee, an offshoot of the latest pan-Arab summit.

The committee will meet on at the request of Palestine to look into the current situation in the occupied territories in light of the Israeli escalation.

Moussa said at a joint news conference prior to Arafat's departure that the Arab League will live up to its commitments in defending the rights of the Palestinian people and issue workable resolutions that can be put into immediate action to face the current Israeli intransigence.

Arafat, on his part, said he came to the Arab League to congratulate Moussa for his new post on behalf of the Palestinian people.

"Moussa has a hard task ahead in light of the ongoing Israeli aggressions on Christian and Islamic sanctities, establishments, houses, farms, schools and agricultural lands," Arafat said.

"Israel is massacring the Palestinian people with US arms but the Palestinian people will never kneel down," Arafat said. Queried about an alleged call to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Arafat said he did not make such a call or have any information about a meeting with Sharon and US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

On the Mitchell Commission report that Israel rejected, Arafat said the parties that attended the Sharm EL-Sheikh summit and recommended forming the committee have to meet again to discuss the report.

President Hosni Mubarak, former US President Bill Clinton, Jordanian King Abdullah II, and UN Chief Kofi Annan, EU security Chief Javier Solana, and a Russian representative besides the Israeli and Palestinian parties attended the summit.

Mouasa said the Arab League means joint Arab action for Arab-related causes, including forging of an integrated Arab order.

"This question requires that the Arab League be a respected regional organization with objectives, concept, and workable mechanisms," he said.

Moussa expected to overhaul the organization and voiced belief in the necessity of creating a new Arab order, solving the big problems of the Arab world, and restructuring the League.

He vowed that this is the first thing he will start with as of today.

"The Arab league should be upgraded to act quickly when there is a need upon the recommendations of the Arab leaders in their recent summit in Amman," he said.

Previous Stories:
  Amr Moussa to lead the AL tomorrow   (5/15/2001)
  Moussa wants to reform Arab League   (5/12/2001)
  Egypt rules out peace-saving summit in Sharm El-Sheikh   (5/9/2001)

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