Preparatory and ministerial meetings for 29th Arab Summit kick off in Riyadh
Palestinian cause - the most crucial and central issue
RIYADH: The Preparatory and Ministerial Meetings of the 29th Arab Summit, due on April 15, began in the Saudi capital yesterday. The sessions, scheduled on April 10 until 12, started with a meeting for the Permanent Representatives and Senior Arab officials in preparation for the Foreign Ministers meeting, held before the summit. Delivering his speech to the meeting, Jordanian permanent representative to the Arab League Ambassador Ali AlAyed said that the various political, security, and military developments facing the Arab countries should be met with a cooperative political stance and diplomacy.
The Palestinian cause is the most crucial and central issue for the Arab world, said Ambassador Al-Ayed whose country held the presidency for the previous Arab summit. He affirmed that Jordan and Arab partners would work on measures to express their utter refusal for the US decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an act seen as a threat to the peace process in the Middle East.
Ambassador Al-Ayed also touched on the recent Israeli aggression against the people of the Gaza Strip, saying that international law and norms granted rights for protestors to express their views especially if the people were under internationally recognized occupation. On the attack which recently struck the Syrian city of Douma, Ambassador Al-Ayed said that it was one of the most sorrowful events in Arab history, indicating that the attack was part of similar crimes perpetrated against the innocent people of Syria. He called for an international investigation on the attack, stressing the importance of bringing those behind it to justice.
The Jordanian diplomat also condemned the ballistic missile attacks launched from Yemeni territory towards Saudi Arabia by the Houthis. On his part, Saudi representative and Foreign Ministry undersecretary for international affairs Abdulrahman Al-Rassi said that the current situation engulfing the Arab region especially in Syria and Yemenrequired a solid stance amongst Arab brethren to overcome challenges. The situation in Palestine will remain as a priority for the Arab world, affirmed the Saudi official who indicated that the Palestinians have the right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. Al-Rassi added that the Palestinians also have the right to determine their own destiny and there will be no peace in the region unless justice prevails. Assistant Minister for Arab World Affairs Aziz AlDaihani headed the Kuwaiti delegation to the preparatory meeting. After the opening session, closed meetings were held to discuss the draft agendas and topics related to the forthcoming Arab summit.
The meeting for the Permanent Representatives and Senior Arab officials was preceded by a session following up on the implementation of the final communique of the 28th Arab Summit held in Jordan. Representatives from Jordan, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, and Sudan attended the meeting. Today, a session for senior Arab officials will be held in preparation for the ministerial economic and social affairs meeting tomorrow.
The vital topics
Vital topics, pertaining to the status quo of the Arab region and joint Arab cooperation, will be forwarded to tomorrow’s Foreign Ministers meeting held ahead of the 29th Arab Summit on April 15 in Saudi Arabia, said a Kuwaiti diplomat yesterday. Speaking to KUNA on the sidelines of the Preparatory and Ministerial Meetings of the Arab Summit, Kuwaiti Assistant Minister for Arab World Affairs Ambassador Aziz AlDaihani said that 18 articles - focusing on issues such as the Palestinian cause, the Syrian crisis and others were reviewed yesterday.
He indicated that topics related to joint Arab cooperation were also discussed during the preparatory meetings. Al-Daihani said that the participants took the chance to laud the Kuwaiti efforts at the UNSC as a non-permanent member, affirming that Kuwait helped to highlight prominent issues such as the Syrian and Yemen crises as well as the situation in Libya. The Kuwaiti diplomat called for efforts to come up with resolutions that will contribute to the welfare and development of the Arab world. The preparatory meetings will continue until April 12. —Agencies