Egypt calls for the protection of civilians in the occupied land

In an interview with Al-Ahram prior to the impending visit of President Mubarak to Washington, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa dealt with the present Israeli escalation, its impact on the future of peace, the resolutions of the Arab Summit, and the points of Egyptian concern in respect to Iraq, Sudan and Libya.

Excerpts :

-Resolutions of the Arab Summit would definitely be a major topic in the talks between the US Administration and both Egypt and Jordan.

-The Arab Summit was the first regular summit since a long time, and was convened in a critical time regarding the peace process.

-All summit members had a unified stance in respect of the protection of civilians in accordance with Geneva convention and the obligations of the occupation authority.

-The main issue is the negative essence of Israeli policies, with the advent of Ariel Sharon. This negativism would impact on the peace chances, and so far there is no fixed line to Sharon's policy, but his remarks doesn't give any indication to the possibility of restarting the peace process.

-There was a unanimous agreement in the summit on the necessity of lifting the sanctions off Iraq. We'll continue to act on that basis.

-It was essential to adopt the UNSC resolution on the international protection of Palestinians, which was subject to US veto. Protecting civilians in the occupied lands is an important commitment, in harmony with international law, and international legitimacy.

-The draft resolution will be a topic for further discussion with the US Administration during the President's visit.

-The second item on the agenda of the Egyptian-US relations on the regional level is the Sudan issue. The USA never mentioned that it aims at, or accepts the division of Sudan. This is a significant point that facilitates dialogue between the USA and Egypt.

-There is a big progress in Sudan, in policies as well as orientations. We believe that the government of President Al-Bashir is stable, and aims at putting an end to the present tragic situation.

-Dialogue should continue between Libya, Washington, and London, after the verdict on Lockerbie. Libya is prepared for dialogue, and it is necessary to consider the Libyan request to lift sanctions, especially that Libya didn't refuse to pay compensation, within the framework of international legitimacy.

-I'm quite happy that the recent summit gave me a free hand to re-structure the Arab League. The Arab League needs reconstruction, restructure, and a new style administration.

-The history of the Arab League was not complete failure, ratler it has a lot of successes.

-The new Arab order has started with the regular summit, and the Arabs of Al-Mahjar (expatriates) should enjoy a good deal of our attention.