Sorour: Arabs drew line between terrorism, resistance

The Arab world draws a clear distinction between resistance and terrorism which does not include legal resistance, said Speaker of the People's Assembly Ahmad Fathi Sorour.

In a news conference late Friday with Euro-Mediterranean parliament Speakers, Sorour said that the final declaration was carefully phrased and it contained a condemnation of violence and terrorism against innocent civilians in the Israeli community, as it has nothing to do with the Israeli military operations.

Sorour stressed that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as well as the Geneva Convention had condemned violence and terrorism. The message to the Israeli people is the need to make peace and condemn violence, said Sorour.

He called for immediate Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territories and the establishment of the Palestinian state.

The Euro-Mediterranean parliaments' visit to Israel has not been carried out following the Israeli occupation of Ramallah and the Sharm El-Sheikh meeting has not been held too, he added.