Arab League deplores former Iraqi regime, Israel
Regional-Iraq, Politics, 2/19/2004

A committee in charge of human rights at the Arab League yesterday condemned violations committed by the former Iraqi regime of human rights and the Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories, the Syrian Golan heights and Lebanon.

The director of human rights administration at the Arab League, Mahmoud Rashed, said in conclusion of meetings of the permanent Arab committee for human rights at the AL headquarters in Cairo that the "committee strongly condemned the systematic and large scale violations of human rights and the international humanitarian law committed by the former Iraqi regime."

The committee also condemned " the grave violations of human rights made during the occupation of the state of Kuwait and hiding facts relating to the Kuwaiti prisoners and missing and citizens of other countries whose remains were found in several mass graves found recently." He added that the committee appeals the Arab states and the international community to help the Iraqi people to found democratic and free establishments that honor and guarantee the rights of the Iraqis. But he did not mention the nature of the needed aid.

Rashed said that the committee recommended to bring those who committed crimes against the Iraqi people and crimes against humanity of members of the former regime to trial in Iraqi courts, and in implementation of Iraqi laws, and not to ensure a safe haven to those who shoulder the responsibility for committing these crimes and also keeping the door open to give the Iraqi judiciary an international dimension.

The committee condemned Israel over violating human rights in the Palestinian territories, and Rashed stressed the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation, and their right to self determination, and the establishment of their own state on their own land with Jerusalem as a capital.

The committee called on the international community to take immediate measures to ensure international protection for the Palestinian people and to send UN observers to the occupied Palestinian territories. The committee also denounced the oppressive measures and practices carried out by Israel in the occupied Syrian Golan heights, and Israel's continued occupation of positions at the internationally recognized Lebanese borders and Lebanon's lands including the Shebaa farms.

Previous Stories:
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  Final statement of Arab states neighboring Iraq's FMs   (2/16/2004)
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