Arab foreign ministers to meet in Durban

Arab foreign ministers will meet in Durban, South Africa, on Sunday on the sidelines of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), which kicked off there Friday morning.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa will receive a comprehensive report on the implementation of the Arab resolutions in the various domains.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa launched his diplomatic activities in Durban by reaffirming that Arabs stood as one man vis-a-vis issues tabled for discussion at the UN's World Conference Against Racism (WCAR).

Moussa met late Thursday with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who is leading his country's delegation to the conference, to coordinate stances.

They reviewed the deteriorating conditions in the occupied Palestinian lands and the racist Israeli practices which further fomented tension in the region.

Moussa and Arafat also discussed Arab action, during the UN Conference to reaffirm the Palestinians' right to live away from the racist Israeli practices against them, especially occupation, repression, closure, destruction and assassinations.

'The Arab League chief met also with the foreign ministers of Morocco, Syria and Mauritania.

Moussa listened to their evaluation of efforts exerted by Arab delegations to include in the Durban declaration and the plan of action, to be issued at the end of the eight-day conference, phraseology consolidating the Arabs' legitimate rights and condemning the racist Israeli practices.

Moussa met with Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, whose country holds the current rotating presidency of the EU. Michel outlined European diplomatic efforts to contain the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

Moussa will hold Saturday a consultative meeting with Arab foreign ministers to coordinate stances in conformity with the agreement reached during their emergency meeting in Cairo on August 22.

In press statements Friday, Moussa said Arabs believe that the Durban conference must distance itself from covering-up the racist practices of any country under whatever pretexts.

The success of the conference hinges on the adoption of objectivity and the condemnation of racist practices in both past and present.

The Arab League Chief was keen to meet with Gamal El-Dora, father of the Palestinian boy Mohammad El-Dora who was gunned down in cold blood by the Israeli occupation soldiers and died in his fathers' arms at the beginning of the Intifada.

Moussa told Gamal that the Arab world and peace-advocates in the whole world would continue to remember his martyr child.

"Israel's brutal assassination of Mohammad will remain an everlasting proof of the racist Israeli practices from which no child, woman or elder is safe," Moussa said.