Arab peace initiative committee meets in Beirut
Regional-Lebanon, Politics, 5/18/2002

The Arab peace initiative committee held a consultation meeting on Friday evening in Beirut with the participation of the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara, the Arab foreign ministers, members of the committee and the secretary general of the Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa.

During their meeting the Arab foreign ministers discussed current Arab issues and the Arab peace initiative. Al-Shara arrived in Beirut to take part in the meetings of the committee and he met at his residence upon his arrival with the Lebanese foreign minister Mahmoud hammoud and the two FMs discussed issues to be debated by the Arab foreign ministers in their meeting.

Al-Shara also met at his residence with the AL chief Amr Moussa and discussions dealt with topics to be discussed by the Arab foreign ministers in their meetings.

The Saudi foreign minister prince Saud al-Faisal said that the Sharm Esh Sheikh Syrian- Saudi Egyptian tripartite summit gave an impetus to the Arab efforts aimed at reaching just peace in the region. He said that the Arab peace initiative committee will discuss in its meeting in Beirut a plan for the Arab move.

He added this committee will be in charge of materializing the resolutions of Sharm Esh Sheikh summit, expressing confidence that the committee will exert all efforts to maintain agreement on these steps.

The Lebanese foreign minister said that Israel does not want peace and is not ready for it, rather wants to impose its positions and stances on the region and on the Palestinian people.

Hammoud added that Israel replied to the Arab peace initiative by an aggression, while the Arabs have stressed their sincere desire to reach a just and comprehensive peace.

In a statement, the Yemeni foreign minister Abu baker al-Qurabi said that the meeting of the Arab initiative committee will deal with proposals to withstand the recent escalation made by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, under the Israeli rejections of the Arab peace initiative.

Moussa, on the other hand, said the meeting of the committee is held at a time abundant with grave possibilities.

In an arrival statement in Beirut on Friday, Moussa said that the Arab peace initiative which was approved in Beirut should be the base for any future peace negotiations, considering that the Arab peace initiative committee is the mechanism approved by the summit for a joint Arab move towards the peace process in the region.

In addition to al-Shara the meetings are attended by the foreign ministers of Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Yemen, Bahrain's minister of state for the Shoura council affairs and the secretary general of the Arab League.

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