Osama Al-Baz four conditions for Arab-Israeli co-existence in ME

The Islamic Thought Forum Sunday evening turned into a crowded popular gathering of the lovers of science and culture.

ÊÊÊ Presidential Political Adviser Osama Al-Baz called upon the world community and the international Quartet (US, UN, Russian and EU) to assist the Arab countries reach an agreement to guarantee the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

ÊÊÊ Addressing the Islamic Thought Gathering, he said that help was needed from all peace-lovers to implement the rules of justice and international legitimacy and restore security and stability to the Middle East.

ÊÊÊ Al-Baz set out a number of conditions that needed to be met by Israel so as to enjoy peace with its Arab neighbors. He said that foremost of all conditions was Israel's renouncement of all its expansionist schemes and its dumping of the theory of stretching its land from the Nile to the Euphrates.

ÊÊÊ Al-Baz prodded Israel to dismantle its military nuclear program noting that it (Israel) should not expect to establish a durable peace with its neighbors so long as it continued to possess nuclear weapons.

ÊÊÊ Israel must stop its settlement building and commit itself to a declared timetable to withdraw from the occupied lands, he said.

ÊÊÊ He expects the coming six months to witness some developments that could lead to the creation of the Palestinian state. Speaking about Iraq crisis, he said Iraq must do its utmost so as to avert any threat of war. The Iraqis had had no alternative other than to accept the return of international arms inspectors, he said advising Baghdad to cooperate with the UN experts so as to cut the way on any attempt to strike Iraqi lands and undermine its stability.

ÊÊÊ Al-Baz asked the US to forgo its double-standard policies particularly vis-?-vis the Iraqi and Israeli nuclear programs.