Arab foreign ministers 111th session's meeting conclude
Regional, Politics, 3/19/1999

The Arab Foreign Ministers in Thursday concluded the works of their 111th session held on March 17 and 18 at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo.

In their final statement, the Arab foreign ministers stressed the importance of the international community shouldering its responsibilities, especially the Middle East peace process cosponsors meeting their responsibilities and pressuring Israel to abide by the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, especially Nos. 242, 338 and 425, the land-for-peace formula and the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

The Arab FMs also stressed backing for Syria's demand for the restoration of the whole Golan and the steadfastness of the Syrian citizens in the Golan in their confrontation of the Israeli occupation.

The Arab FMs voiced condemnation of the attempts made by Israel to perpetuate its occupation of the Golan and the policies pursued by the Israeli government aimed at destroying the Middle East peace process and its continued escalation of tensions in the region.

The AL council condemned the decision taken by the Israeli Knesset on January 26, which provided for restoring the lands occupied by Israel, including Arab areas as such the Golan and Jerusalem to require the consent of the majority in the Israeli Knesset.

They also condemned Israel's continued rejection of resuming negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks from the point at which they broke off three years earlier.

The AL council welcomed the decision of the UN General Assembly which calls for convening an international conference in Geneva on July 5 to discuss measures to salvage the Geneva Convention of 1949 in the occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem, and called for the conference to be an embodiment of the collective responsibility borne by countries which signed the fourth Geneva Convention concerning Israel's continued violations of these agreements through its settlement practices and confiscation of Arab territories in the occupied areas.

The AL council asserted the importance of coordinating stances among the Arab states and their representatives in international arenas in order to unveil the Israeli practices which violate the fourth Geneva Convention and the human rights charters as well as coordination with governmental and non-governmental organizations to deter the Israeli violations and practices which are all against international norms.

The council, moreover, reiterated rejection of all measures taken by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at changing the legal and demographic structure of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and considered all these measures as null and void and constituting a flagrant violation of UN resolutions and charter.

It called for pressuring Israel to implement UN resolutions on its full withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the June 4, 1967 border line.

Concerning Lebanon, the AL council strongly condemned Israel's continued occupation of south Lebanon and its defiance of UN resolution 425, which provides for its immediate and unconditional withdrawal from south Lebanon.

It also condemned the repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation forces against the Lebanese citizens and the siege imposed on the occupied part of south Lebanon. It called upon the international community to move quickly to make Israel compensate Lebanon for the damages inflicted as a result of its aggressions and the continued violations of the April Understanding.

The AL council stressed the Arab states' continued support for the Palestinian people in occupied Jerusalem and welcomed the position of the European Union in its rejection that Israel will be the capital of Israel.

It stressed that Jerusalem is for the Arabs and that it is an integrated part of the Arab territories occupied in 1967. The council asserted the need to find a just solution for the question of the Palestinian refugees according to UN resolution 194 and rejection of all Israeli initiatives aimed at closing the file of their cause "through resettling them outside Palestine."

The council condemned the Israeli settlement policy and called upon the international community, especially the US and the EU member states and the UN donating establishments, not to give financial and economic aid which are used by Israel in settlement projects in the occupied Arab lands.

The council called for converting the Middle East region into a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. It adopted a collective and rapid Arab move plan to include the Middle East in the final statement of the third session of the preliminary committee of the unilaterals for the year 2000 in order to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to be held in April in New York, and stressed the importance of Israel joining the NPT.

On the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates, the AL council asserted support for the rights of Syria and Iraq to the waters of the two rivers and expressed concern over Turkey's continued building of dams on the two rivers without consultations on this issue with the countries which share the costs.

It called on the Arab states to recall its relations with companies and establishments which have relations with carrying out Turkish projects on the two rivers.

The AL council reiterated solidarity with Libya in its stand in dealing with the Lockerbie incident. In a decision, the AL council stressed Libya's adherence to the need of ensuring all guarantees to provide for a just trial for the two suspects in a neutral country and called upon all sides concerned in this matter to negotiate and maintain a dialogue.

The AL council called for lifting the sanctions imposed on Libya and to terminate the sanctions stated in UN resolutions 748 and 883 when the two Libyans suspects are handed over.

The AL council stressed the territorial integrity of Iraq and the security of the neighboring countries and regional safety. It also, in a separate statement on Iraq, called for the halt of all strikes Iraq undergoes which violate the UN Security Council resolutions concerned and called upon all sides concerned, including Iraq, to implement UN Security Council resolutions in content and spirit.

The AL council also asked for creating a mechanism within the UN resolutions and Geneva Convention of 1949 to settle the humanitarian problems between Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia through consultations, coordination and agreement among the sides in order to support the International Committee of the Red Cross to settle all debated issues. The AL council assigned the AL chief to follow up on this matter.

The council voiced its concern over the continued military cooperation between Turkey and Israel and appealed Turkey to reconsider the military cooperation because the council said it has an adverse impact on the security and stability of the Arab region.

The council also called for providing political support and backing to the Somali people in order to achieve national reconciliation and to call on all regional and international circles to ban the import of weapons to the Somalis in implementation of UN resolution 733 so as to help find a peaceful settlement for the Somali crisis.

The council asserted unity of Comoros and its sovereignty and called upon all sides concerned to cooperate with the Arab League and the Organization of African Unity to find a peaceful settlement for the Comoros crisis.

The council expressed great concern over foreign attempts to destabilize Sudan and intervention in its internal affairs. It urged the Arab states to continue special efforts to provide more humanitarian aid to withstand the difficult hardships on its territories.

Previous Stories:
  International Atomic Energy Agency supports Mubarak's initiative to free Middle East from weapons of mass destruction   (9/21/1999)
  Iraq calls for converting Middle East into nuclear-free area   (9/13/1999)
  Saudi Arabia asserts importance of joint work to achieve peace   (9/3/1999)
  AL warns against inter-Israeli alliance against Arabs   (3/18/1999)
  Abdul Meguid and al-Dakhil discuss Iraq's demands   (3/17/1999)
  Iraq calls on the Arab states to break the embargo imposed on it   (3/17/1999)
  Iraq takes part along 18 foreign ministers at Arab League meeting   (3/16/1999)

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