Egypt, Arab tendency toward peace, strategic option

Mustafa el Feqqi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Arab Affairs and Egypt's permanent delegate to the Arab League, described Egyptian and Arab tendency toward peace in the Middle East as strategic option.

The senior diplomat called for an Arab and international pursuing of Israel so as to prevent it from wriggling off from the Middle East peacemaking drive.

Arab states are enraged with the Israeli perpetration in south Lebanon and its clampdown on Lebanese civilians and infrastructure, according to the statements made by Feqqi on the fringe of the Arab League Council meeting at the Chief Delegates level held earlier in the day in the League's premises.

Egypt proposed entrusting Arab League General secretary Dr. Esmat Abdul Meguid with conducting necessary contacts with the UN Security Council five permanent members, the European Union and other international organizations to expound the Arab desire, he recalled.

On Lebanon's demand for boycotting Israel, Feqqi asserted that Egypt favors positive stances instead of the negative ones.

He branded as "provocative" the recent Israeli airstrikes against Lebanese civil installations, highlighting underway contacts to vocalize the Arab reaction.

Permanent Delegates to the Arab League, at the end of their extraordinary meeting in Cairo yesterday, underlined the importance of abiding by the latest decisions by the Arab League Council and of bolstering Arab solidarity.

Delegates underlined identity of views on Arab political support for Lebanon. They hailed the Lebanese leadership and resistance, reiterating the right of the Palestinian people to combat occupation.