March 25, 2005

THE ARAB SUMMIT CONCLUDES ITS SESSIONS IN ALGIERS. ALGIERS DECLARATION CALLS FOR ACHIEVING ARAB SOLIDARITY TO PROTECT ARAB NATIONAL SECURITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND RIGHT OF EVERY COUNTRY TO DEFEND ITS RESOURCES. THE DECLARATION UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUING MODERNIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARAB WORLD TO PROMOTE THE PRACTICE OF DEMOCRACY EXPAND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION. THE SUMMIT REITERATES COMMITMENT TO JUST AND COMPREHENSIVE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AS A STRATEGIC OPTION FOR RESOLVING THE ARAB- ISRAELI CONFLICT. THE SUMMIT REAFFIRMS RESPECT FOR IRAQ'S UNITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND INDEPENDENCE AND NON-INTERFERENCE IN ITS DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. Arab leaders concluded their two-day summit in Algiers. They decided to re-launch the 2002 Arab peace plan, originally proposed by Crown Prince Abdullah, and to create a pan-Arab Parliament. Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa read the Algiers Declaration in which the delegates underscored the need to reactivate the Arab initiative and urged the international community to support the peace plan. Moussa also announced the creation of an Arab Parliament with four members from each of the 22 Arab League states and said the next summit would be held in Khartoum next year. The Parliament will be based in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi created a stir at the summit's concluding session when he described both Israelis and the Palestinians as "idiots," much to the amusement of most delegates. Qaddafi, however, criticized the world community for its double standard in implementing UN Security Council resolutions. He cautioned against the danger posed by the use of force and of making Resolution 1559 into a pretext to attack Syria. "Why do they insist on implementing Resolution 1559 while ignoring all the resolutions related to the Arab-Israeli conflict?" the Saudi Press Agency quoted Qaddafi as saying. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the summit that Syria's military pullout should be completed by May. He also said that a new probe into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri would likely be needed. Addressing Arab leaders, including Syrian President Bashar Assad, the UN secretary-general called for free and fair parliamentary elections in Lebanon in May. "Within the next few days, I expect to release the report of the mission of inquiry I established in the wake of the killing. A more comprehensive investigation may be necessary," Annan said. The delegates endorsed Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz's proposals to promote Arab reforms and assigned the ministerial council to discuss the proposals in order to implement them. The controversy between Syria and Lebanon did not come up at the summit as delegates from both sides refrained from presenting it. As for Middle East peace, the leaders hoped that the European initiative would push the process further. The delegates pledged Arab support for Syria, Lebanon and for the Palestinians to recover land occupied by Israel. The summit's final declaration makes peace with Israel conditional on the creation of an independent Palestinian state and the return of refugees. Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani Mulki said Israel's "quick and negative" reaction to the Arab initiative looks as if "they are not interested in peace." He said the Arabs were expecting a positive reaction from the Jewish state. The summit reaffirms "respect for Iraq's unity, sovereignty and independence and non-interference in its domestic affairs" and welcomes its political transition following legislative elections held in January. The delegates denounced "terrorism in all its forms and regardless of its motives and justifications" and said it should not be linked to Islam. While voicing concern over the civil war in Darfur, the delegates expressed their support for Sudan's unity and development. The summit exhorted members of the cash-strapped organization to pay their dues to enable the organization to carry out its mission. Libya is one of the countries, which have failed to pay their dues. The summit decided to make the Middle East a region free from weapons of mass destruction and called "dangerous" Israel's refusal to let the International Atomic Energy Agency inspect its installations. The delegates also decided to establish a follow-up committee for resolutions and change voting methods. "They tasked the secretary-general to set up special commissions to study a plan to create an Arab court and an Arab security council, with the aim of submitting them to the next summit," the final communique said. The Algiers Declaration affirmed the importance of modernizing the Arab League, and achieving just peace in ME The Arab summit stressed the importance of pursuing efforts aiming at modernizing the Arab League and activating its mechanisms with the aim of rebuilding an integrated Arab society. At the end of proceedings of the summit in Algiers, the Arab leaders issued "Algiers Declaration", which called for achieving Arab solidarity to protect Arab national security, sovereignty and right of every country to defend its resources and reject any foreign interference in its internal affairs. The declaration underlined the importance of continuing modernization and development in the Arab world to promote the practice of democracy expand political participation and strengthen values of citizenship, culture of democracy and human rights. The declaration called for encouraging steps adopted by Arab countries to establish a transitional Arab parliament and an authority to follow up implementation of resolutions adopted. The declaration, which was read out by Arab League Secretary General Amre Mousa, called for enabling the League to play its role in serving the interests of the Arab people. The declaration sheds light on Arab integration through activating mechanism of joint Arab action and carrying out joint projects in the economic domains, especially the Arab trade zone, and development of partnership and investments. It called for launching initiatives, strategies, and plans of action with the aim of achieving equality for women that would ensure their rights against any form of discrimination. The declaration underlined the importance of allowing women to participate in decision-making along with men in all social, political and economic activities. It reiterated commitment to just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East as a strategic option for resolving the Arab- Israeli conflict. The declaration stressed the importance of the Arab initiative approved by Beirut summit in 2002, as based on international legitimacy resolutions, the land-for-peace principle, the Madrid terms of reference and the Roadmap. The declaration called for making use of the calm currently prevailing in the Palestinian territories to achieve an Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories including Palestine, Golan and Shebaa Farms. It reiterated a call for establishing an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 and solving the issue of Palestinian refugees in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 of 1948. The declaration rejected all attempts to settle Palestinian refugees in the host Arab countries, which ran counter to the principles of international law. It said that peace was an inseparable part of the aspirations of the Arab peoples, adding that peace could not be achieved except through the return of all Arab rights. It expressed full support to the Palestinian people and their national unity in face of the Israeli practices. The Arab declaration appreciated the role of AL Aqsa and Intifada funds in supporting the Palestinian economy and helping all categories of the Palestinian people. The declaration hailed the democratic atmosphere in which the Palestinian elections were held, adding that such elections asserted the democratic option of the Palestinian Authority. It expressed solidarity with the sisterly Syria and rejected the so-called Syria Accountability Act and considered it a violation of the United Nations resolutions. The declaration called for maintaining and supporting Arab- Iranian relations and sent a call to the Iranian government to respond to the stances of the United Arab Emirates government, which prefers peaceful means to restore the three islands held by Iran. It welcomed signing the peace agreement between the Sudanese government and Sudan's rebels and reiterated support to efforts exalted by the Sudanese government to settle the Darfur issue peacefully. The declaration hailed positive developments in Somalia, as represented in electing a President and a transitional federal parliament as an important step on the way to restore unity of Somalia and its independence. It decided allotting urgent financial support to the Somali government through Somalia Fund. The declaration expressed support for the unity of Comoros and integrity of its territories. The declaration condemned all forms of terrorism which posed grave threats to the basic rights of human beings and national security of the Arab countries. It called for holding an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to determine a definition for terrorism and stressed the importance of drawing up a line between Islam and terrorist activities. It welcomed holding the first conference between the Arab and Latin American states and stressed the importance of pursuing efforts aiming at activating Afro-Arab cooperation. The declaration reiterated the call for activating Arab-European contacts for further cooperation and partnership between Arab countries and world's heavy-weight states. At the end of the session the Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir addressed the participants and on behalf of heads of delegations thanked the Algerian President, and the government and people of Algeria and welcomed them to Sudan for the coming summit. President Abdul Aziz Boutaflika then delivered the final speech expressing his satisfaction with the results achieved saying the Algiers declaration and the resolutions are a good basis for the Arab endeavour towards achieving the aspirations of the Arab people.