Palestinian negotiator warns of terrorism, occupation

Sheikh Thamer Ali leads Kuwaiti delegation to the event

AMMAN, Nov 12, (Agencies): Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat said here on Thursday the Arab region was facing three main threats: terrorism, Israeli occupation and economic conditions.

Addressing a two-day security conference, Erekat said regional terrorism is not restricted to terrorist movements and groups as there is also terrorism practiced by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian children, not to mention the Israeli policy of executions.

On the regional economic situation, he called for establishing the principles of transparency, good governance, accountability and the fight against terrorism, estimating that illiteracy in the Arab world hits around 30 percent according to 2015 statistics.

On threats by the Israeli occupation to the Arab region, Erekat said Israel is wreaking havoc at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and attempting to divide it.

He added that the Palestinian leadership had recently adopted a set of decisions delineating the security and political relationship with Israel in order to address the latter’s fresh strategy to find an alternative to peace.

Moreover, the Chief Palestinian Negotiator lashed out at US support to Israel in its recent aggression on the Palestinian people, affirming that Israel is defending its settlement and occupation, rather than its security.

Organized by the Arab Institute for Security Studies, the two-day security conference kicked off here on Wednesday and concludes later today. It focuses on regional foreign policies, cooperation, disarmament and non-proliferation, mainly in the Middle East.

President of the National Security Apparatus in Kuwait Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah is leading Kuwait’s delegation partaking in the event.

Earlier in Riyadh, Arab and South American leaders found common ground in support for the Palestinians during a summit Wednesday aimed at strengthening ties between the two regions.

Venezuela’s president and Saudi Arabia’s monarch specifically mentioned the Palestinian cause in their public remarks. The summit’s final statement also called for the creation of a Palestinian state in all of the West Bank and Gaza, with its capital in

A handout picture shows Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas (right), meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz in Riyadh on the sidelines of the 4th Summit of Arab States and South

American countries in Saudi Arabia. (AFP)

Jerusalem.

Latin American countries have been among the most vocal critics of Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories, with several recalling their ambassadors for consultations to protest Israeli actions during last year’s Gaza war. Venezuela is among a handful of South American countries that broke ties with Israel altogether in the past over its actions in Gaza.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, by championing Palestinian statehood as part of a broader battle against perceived Western imperialism.

Saudi King Salman opened the twoday summit by commending Latin American countries for their foreign policy stances, particularly with regard to the Palestinians.

This is the fourth Arab-South American summit to bring together top officials from the Arab League’s 22 member states and 12 countries from South America. Notably absent were officials from Syria, which was suspended from the Arab League following the 2011 uprising.

Saudi Arabia, which hosted this year’s summit, backs the rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. The summit’s final statement affirmed the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

It also called for a solution to the impasse in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition allied with the internationally recognized government is battling Shiite Houthi rebels supported by Riyadh’s regional rival Iran.

The summit’s final statement said leaders reject “interference from outside” parties in Arab affairs. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir offered a more direct statement to reporters, saying the summit rejects Iranian interference in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

The Arab-Latin American meeting, held every three years, began in Brazil in 2005, followed by summits in Qatar and Peru. It is scheduled to be held next in 2018 in Venezuela.

Summit attendees point out that trade between the two regions has reached $33 billion, compared to just $6 billion a decade ago. Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said leaders agreed to increase flights between the two regions.

UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon also took part in the summit, noting that Latin America has the biggest Arab diaspora in the world and that several Latin American presidents have been of Arab descent.

Heads of state who attended include Egypt’s President Abdel-Fatah el-Sisi, Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir, Jordan’s King Abdallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Qatar’s Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa.