Arab League chief in an exclusive interview with Arabic News
Regional, Politics, 11/5/2001

In an exclusive statement to Arabic News on Sunday in Damascus on the sideline of the recent meeting of the Arab foreign ministers, members in the Arab follow up committee, the secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa said replying to a question by Arabic News saying that in the meeting on Saturday with journalists in Damascus, the president of the Middle East Institute Edward Walker said that it is ripe time for the Arabs to explain their position against the campaign aiming at distorting their image and what will the Arab League do to this effect, that he called for a meeting to be held in Cairo on November 26 and 27 to discuss means of challenging the hostile campaign aiming at distorting the image of Arabs and Islam.

He added:" I think the representatives of the Arab states, academicians and historians will represent the Arab attitude towards the campaign against Arab countries and the Arab civilization in general," noting that this meeting will focus on " what we do and what should be done in order to stop this campaign."

Replying to a question put by Arabic news President Jim kazoun on if cooperation with the US to fight terrorism is made only at the bilateral level as the US apparently indicates Saudi Arabia and Egypt's positive response in the coalition to fighting terrorism. Or does this cooperation go through the Arab League (AL), the AL chief said that the Arab League represents the unanimous voice and unanimous stand of the Arab countries and the Arab member states have already decided to stand firm against international terrorism and to be part of the international consensus against this evil. So the position of the Arab league is firm. The Arab states are fully against International terrorism. " We already condemn the attacks against New York and Washington ."

He continued as saying that as the US secretary of state Colin Powel had said that "war against terrorism does not necessarily mean military action. There are many domains and ways of cooperation to fighting terrorism."

Replying to Another question put by Arabic News on that there is still contradictory attitude by the USA towards Syria. Bush noted positive signals from Syria while another US official Armeitaj just recently said that Syria will might be targeted in the US attacks after Afghanistan and what will be the AL position if Syria or any Arab country is attacked, Moussa said:" First of all I take what President Bush has said seriously. As for the other US official, I know the position of the Arab league, the unanimous position of the Arab countries is that we can not be in any party to any attack against any Arab country. And if this happens the general consensus to any coalition will break up. We can not be, we do not see any reason to attack any country except if this and certainly is in the interests of Israel. So we can not be party to something that would be against the interests of the Arab world as well against the security and stability of the Arab homeland. If this will happen, it will be a very serious mistake.

Answering a question on that a lot has been said on proposed European initiatives to resume peace negotiations in the ME and the establishment of a Palestinian state and to what extent is this credible, and if so what role will the AL play, the AL chief said:" I do not see any initiatives. This is only press reports or statements to the press." He explained that the situation in the Middle East is complex between the Arab and Israel because of the Israeli military operations in the Palestinian Arab lands.. He added that if this continues it will throw the region again into a situation against all countries including the United States. He stressed that the Israeli position now in the Palestinian territories in pursuing the policy of siege, closure, attacks and lists of assassination; all these will not stay un-answered ."

Moussa said:" It is in the nature of things that all military occupation will lead to resistance. This is a rule and it will continue to be the rule. And the more there is assassination there will be counter- assassination.." He continued that being so the situation needs indeed, an initiative and that Arabs are now very familiar with the good intention but they are not familiar as yet with the serious deed, and what we need is a serious step." He indicated " we follow the issue of peace with great attention, however, we are very pessimistic about the ME peace issue."

Previous Stories:
  An Arab fund to develop potentials of Arab expatriates   (11/2/2001)
  Moussa confers with chairman of the world Islamic forum for dialogue   (11/1/2001)
  An Arab- European tour for Moussa   (10/31/2001)

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