Syrian FM: Faithful efforts needed for Arab solidarity
Regional-Syria, Politics, 1/25/1999

In the presence of 17 Arab foreign ministers, two state ministers for foreign affairs and three permanent Arab League representatives who took part in the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers held in Cairo on Sunday, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa gave a speech at the meeting's opening ceremony in which he expressed Syria's great satisfaction with the distinguished presence and full participation of Arab officials at this meeting which is viewed by many to be an accomplishment reflecting the need to correct the current Arab conditions.

The Syrian minister said the objective that needs faithful Arab efforts is to revive Arab solidarity which is indispensable at a time when conflicting people should unite.

Al-Sharaa added, "This place (the Arab League) belongs to all Arabs, and no one has the right to be a mere guest. In its capacity as chairperson of the meeting, Syria expects to receive your support and cooperation in order to make the deliberations a success and to achieve the target goal."

He continued: "We meet today after contacts and consultations which have unfortunately raised doubts, about the future of joint Arab action and about the possibility of making the meeting a summit as called for by brotherly Yemen. We meet today after the aggression on Iraq which was launched beyond the scope of international legitimacy, without an unequivocal authorization by the Security Council and without achieving any objective except increasing sufferings of the Iraqi people and destabilizing the region's security. Over the past eight years, the entire Arab nation has been paying dearly while unprecedented blackmail is still being practiced at the full expanse of national Arab interests and under a policy of weakness and governed our conduct, as if we were unable to correct the mistakes and to overcome obstacles."

He proceeded: "As we care for all Arab brothers from Kuwait and Iraq up to the farthest city in the Arab Maghreb, the perplexing question remains outstanding: For how long can we coexist with this situation which looks like a dark tunnel in which we are all trapped? For how long shall we succumb to the status quo which has plundered the nation's spirit and made it completely fettered?"

He said, "It is our collective responsibility to fully discern the current conditions of the nation and to find a solution to the problematic cause. It is our duty first to stop the dangerous and repeated game played by the attitude of some international inspectors and the espionage of others, who are used as tools to determine zero hour whenever the Americans want to exercise the muscle-flexing of striking at Iraq materially, and at all Arabs morally. How can this problem be solved while parties controlling Iraqi destiny are adamant on raising security fears among the Iraq's neighbors. The contempt shown for the minds of the Arabs has reached unbelievable levels when Turkey and Israel were recently provided with Patriot missiles to protect themselves from Iraq's missiles, at the time when we all know that Turkey's army is picnicking from time to time in northern Iraq, when Israel is launching daily attacks on Lebanon and American - British war-planes fly freely in Iraq's airspace.

"It is our duty to condemn what is going on in the light of the silence about Israel's occupation of Jerusalem, the Golan, South Lebanon and other Palestinian and Arab territories.

"Isn't it our right to call for lifting the embargo on the Iraqi people to voice all-out support for all Iraqis and to work for ending sanctions? It is also our right to call for lifting the embargo imposed on Libya and the Sudan, knowing that this tough embargo is a gross violation of basic human rights and has caused material and moral damage to the two countries and other states. Protecting our national interests requires protecting our Arab interests."

Al-Sharaa concluded by saying that, "Syria, led by President al-Assad, will remain faithful to her national principles and will continue to support rights to heal differences, to unite ranks and to work with other Arab brothers until genuine Arab solidarity is achieved and the nation's interests are fully safeguarded."

Previous Stories:
  Arab FMs meeting will not call for lifting sanctions off Iraq   (1/23/1999)
  Iraqi dailies expect failure of Cairo meeting   (1/23/1999)
  Syrian FM confers with AL chief to insure success of Cairo meeting   (1/23/1999)
  Al-Sharaa discusses with al-Hoss, Moussa issues on coming Cairo meeting   (1/22/1999)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search