Arab foreign ministers call for sanctions on Israel, Libya unhappy
Regional, Politics, 9/17/1998

At the conclusion of the Arab League (AL) council's meetings, the Arab foreign ministers called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel, saying that Israeli polices threaten international peace and security until it abides by United Nations resolutions and implements the agreements it signed with Palestine.

The ministerial council decided to support the Palestinian position in the peace process and called on the U.S. to pressure Israel to implement the agreements it signed with the P.L.O.

The AL council denounced the policies of the Israeli government for their procrastination and maneuvering to impose new conditions on the negotiations with the Palestinian government and Israel's refusal to resume negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks beginning from the point at which the talks stopped more than two years ago.

Moreover the council called on the U.S., Russia, China and Britain to pressure Israel to resume the negotiations and to take responsibility for obliging Israel to implement the international legitimacy resolutions that are committed to achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

ArabicNews.com learned that the Arab League council meetings viewed yesterday strong disputes over Libya's request that the Arab states stop abiding by the UN sanctions imposed on it. Libya urged the Arab states to adopt a united position and ignore the UN Security Council, as per the resolution taken by the Organization of African Unity.

Other diplomatic sources said Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi in the recent meeting held with AL Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid threatened to withdraw from the AL.

The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Yemen did not participate in the meetings, as those countries' representation were only at the level of undersecretaries and permanent delegates. They said the ministers' absence was due to external and internal commitments.

Meanwhile, Sweden requested yesterday from the Arab League all the documents and papers raised up at the Arab foreign ministers' meetings.

An official source in the AL said that Sweden asked for the documents and agenda as a current member of the United Nations Security Council, because it wants to get acquainted with the proposals on the Lokerbie crisis and the peace process, adding that an official in the embassy asked about an Arab initiative to escalate the Arab boycott of Israel.

Previous Stories:
  Arab League says no hope for peace while Netanyahu is in office   (9/16/1998)
  Libya wants real support from Arab League in lifting sanctions   (9/16/1998)

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