Arab League pre-summit meetings held in positive climate, moroccan official

Secretary of state for foreign affairs and cooperation, Taieb Fassi Fihri, who led the Moroccan delegation to the 115th ordinary session of the Arab League council said the meetings were held in "a positive climate" in the prospect of the coming Arab summit in Amman.

Fassi Fihri told MAP upon leaving Cairo Tuesday that the council debates focused on the developments of the Palestinian issue and means of backing the Palestinian people's intifada (uprising), especially after the new Israeli government announced its political program.

The council noted with deep worry the new measures adopted by Israeli authorities, mainly concerning the sealing off of Palestinian territories, as such measures are likely to inflame tension, worsen the sufferings of the Palestinian people and maintain the Israeli military blockade, he said.

For the Moroccan official the Israeli new attitude a backward step in the deadlocked peace process.

He recalled that the Arab follow-up committee entrusted with implementing resolutions of the latest extraordinary Arab summit had drafted a detailed report on the developments of the Palestinian issue. The report will be submitted to the coming Arab summit to be held in Amman March 27-28.

The Arab follow-up committee is made up of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia.

The council also looked in the draft agenda of the Arab summit that will debate several political and economic priority issues and discussed Arab-African cooperation.

A recommendation on the activation of this Arab-African cooperation will be submitted to the Arab summit, he said.