El-Arabi Welcomes HH the Qatar Emir's Summit Proposal to Manage Palestinian Reconciliation

Doha, March 26 (QNA) - The Arab League Secretary General Dr.Nabil el-Arabi has welcomed the proposal by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to hold a mini-Arab summit in Cairo to directly supervise the conclusion of Palestinian national reconciliation. The Palestinian issue has always been the core of the Middle East conflict, El-Arabi told the 24th summit, which opened in Doha earlier Tuesday , adding that it is no longer acceptable to be involved in fruitless negotiations or accepting to negotiate initiatives dealing with marginal and partial issues to waste time and perpetuate settlement and occupation without seriously addressing the essence of the conflict. El-Arabi praised Palestine's achievement at the U.N. General Assembly in November as it was granted an observer non-member status at the international organization, saying that it is a success that should be built on in order for Palestine to be recognized as a state under occupation. He hailed the ongoing building process in a number of Arab countries to achieve peoples' aspirations in freedom and democratic change, highlighting Tunisia and Egypt as two countries on the path to build democratic regimes despite difficulties and obstacles. The secretary general welcomed the national dialogue in Yemen as a step towards the full implementation of the Gulf initiative and its mechanisms. He also pointed to Libya where a national congress was elected and a government was formed to manage the transition and restore security and stability and draft a constitution. The Arab League is in continuous contacts with the State of Qatar and the African Union to support peace and development in Sudan and the Darfur region, El-Arabi said, urging meantime the memer states to participate in the Darfur donors conference, due to be held in Doha on April 7 and 8. As for Syria, El-Arabi said the Arab League has always supported the Syrian peaceful uprising and has proposed several inititives to reach a political settlement but they all were in vain. He blamed the Syrian regime for the escalating crisis and the serious twists it took as it insists on using the military solution against innocent Syrians. El-Arabi also blamed the Security Council for failing to impose a political solution and taking the necessary decisions to stop the bloodshed. He called for supporting the efforts of U.N.-Arab League joint envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to reach international and regional consensus on the solution plan whose basics were formulated in Geneva in June. The Arab League chief has also underlined the necessity to keep the Syrian opposition united under the umbrella of the Syrian National Coalition as it was previously agreed earlier in March to recognize the Coalition as the legitimate and only representative of the Syrian people. He also pointed to the Arab League's efforts to establish a zone free of all nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction but said all the efforts reached a deadlock due to the international community's failure to implement its obligations that were agreed upon in 2010 and also because of Israel's refusal to adhere, with some international powers supporting its stance. In his concluding remarks, El-Arabi said it necessary to revise the Charter of the Arab League as it was drafted at the end of World War the second (WWII) amid international and regional circumstances that no longer exist, adding that a new charter would help the organization to better assume its resposibilities. The Arab League Chief added that the redrafting process should include the priorities of joint Arab work, amending the regulations of the Arab League's institutions and councils, enhancing the role of the secretary general in activating joint Arab work, and agreeing on a regular mechanism to revise and develop the charter. (QNA)