Arab summit concluded with resolutions pertaining to joint Arab action

Next summit to be convened in Doha

Summit's final communiqué stresses adherence to Arab peace initiative, int'l resolutions

The 20th ordinary Arab summit concluded its two-day proceedings in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, addressing the inaugural session of the summit, hoped that the summit would yield positive results. He noted that the convening of the summit at this critical time is a matter of honor and responsibility.

He said that Syria believes in the significance of the joint Arab action, adding. "We have done our best to create the suitable environment for ensuring the success of the summit, and I do feel happy for surpassing several obstacles which impede its path".

"We are facing series of challenges which threaten our solidarity and make our countries an open theatre for the disputes of others."

Al-Assad said the Arab-Arab relations and the surrounding circumstances in the past and present have created an unacceptable situation in the Arab world.

He pointed out that the Arabs do realize the significance of peace and noted that the Arab peace initiative in 2002 constitutes a clear evidence for the intention of the Arab countries on realizing peace.

Security will be realized only through peace and not through aggression and wars, he said, adding that the Arabs have spared no opportunity to express their desire in peace.

"On the contrary, Israel has been behaving in an arrogant manner and refusing to apply the international resolutions," Al-Assad noted.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa read Damascus declaration stressing the commitment of leaders of the Arab countries to strengthening Arab solidarity to safeguard Arab national security and ensure respect for the integrity of each Arab state, its sovereignty and its right to self-defense and non-interference in their internal affairs.

The leaders affirmed their commitment to implementing the resolutions of Arab summits and institutions of joint Arab action and strengthening the role of the Arab League so that they can achieve the goals to which the Arab nation aspires.

The Arab summit warned that the Israeli siege and closure of crossings as well as the escalated aggression have gone too far, especially in Gaza strip. The Damascus declaration labeled these actions as war crimes that require joint action to cease. Israel should immediately stop these hostilities against civilians, the declaration demanded, urging the Security Council to take its responsibility towards this situation and called on all concerned bodies to lift the siege, open crossings and let humanitarian aid reaches the Palestinians.

The declaration also underlined the importance of the efforts being exerted to reach fair and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on international resolutions, the land for peace principle and Madrid accords.

It also underlined the Arab rights regarding the return of Palestinian refugees, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital, full Israeli withdrawal from the Lebanese territories and the Arab Syrian Golan to the July 4, 1967 boundaries.

The Arab side continues to adhere to the Arab peace initiative depends on Israel's readiness to live up to all its commitments towards international resolutions on peace in the Middle East, it was emphasized. Furthermore, the declaration urged the Arab states to put differences behind through dialogue and to focus on achieving welfare for their peoples.

The Damascus declaration stressed the need for confronting, in accordance with the Arab league charter and resolutions of former summits, any foreign intervention that could instigate differences among the Arab countries.

The declaration affirmed that the Arab states will stand united to face political and economic challenges and the pressure imposed by some countries economically, the declaration called for stronger cooperation within the framework of a joint responsibility to support Arab economic integration schemes in prospect of attaining a common Arab market. The success of the Arab socio-economic development summit, to be held in Kuwait early next year, has to be ensured by massive and effective participation, it was said in the declaration.

Moreover, Arab leaders voiced their support and appreciation for Yemeni efforts, led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in launching the initiative for a Palestinian national reconciliation. The step maintained Palestinian unity and underlined the importance of continuing such Arab efforts, they said.

The declaration stressed the unity of Iraq and its adherence to its Islamic and Arab identity. This is in addition to the importance of an overall national reconciliation and speedy termination of foreign presence there while ensuring its security, stability and sovereignty.

The declaration urged Iraqis to immediately end the bloodshed and protect the lives of innocent citizens and national welfare. It encouraged them to adopt dialogue as a means of overcoming differences and reaching consensus and reconciliation.

Moving on the Lebanese crisis, the Damascus declaration reiterated adherence to the Arab initiative to help Lebanon get through the current situation. It announced support for the Arab league Secretary General efforts to encourage Lebanese sides to reach an agreement.

The declaration also encouraged talks between the UAE and Iran to resolve the issue of the three islands via legal routes and peaceful means in order to preserve Arab-Iranian ties and further develop them.

The declaration also tackled the unity and sovereignty of Sudan, Somalia and Comoros.

It warned against the mounting attack on Islam and described the resulting animosity as a source of great anxiety. This is particularly because insults against Muslims have occurred in countries known for diversity and acceptance of the other, the declaration said.

The declaration alerted that the state of extreme polarity witnessed by the world required more effort to reduce the gap between cultures and nations.

Finally, the declaration condemned all forms of terrorism and criticized all attempts to link it to Arabs and Islam. It reiterated the call for holding an un-supervised international conference to define terrorism and its causes and differentiate between it and the right to resist occupation.

The declaration also called for making the Middle East a region free from weapons of mass destruction, mainly nuclear arms, while underlining the right to avail of this energy in peaceful fields. The international community should urge Israel to immediately join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and have its nuclear establishments supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Qatar will host next Arab summit, Moussa announced Sunday when reading out the Damascus Declaration at the closing session of the 20th Arab summit.

Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani subsequently gave a brief speech, saying that after consultation with the AL and the Somali side, his country would host the next summit instead of Somalia in view of the situation in the eastern African country.

According to the Arabic alphabetic sequence of the names of the AL members, the 21st Arab summit should be hosted by Somalia.

During his speech, the Qatar Emir appreciated the efforts Syria has exerted to host this summit and also thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the 19th summit in Riyadh.

Yemen called on the Arab nation to establish an Arab atomic energy agency for nuclear research and using them for peaceful means, especially generating electricity.

In Yemen's speech delivered by Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, he called for establishing an Arab fund for serving development objectives in the Arab world.

He confirmed that the current challenges faced by the Arab nation oblige all to boost Arab solidarity and activate joint national action.

He renewed Yemen's call on the international community, especially the United States and the Quartet, to exercise pressures against Israel to stop its repeated aggression against the Palestinian people and cease building the separation wall.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said that the Arab League summit in Damascus was already a "success" and would come up with important decisions. Al-Muallem told journalists at the summit's press centre in Damascus that convening the summit "even with the participation of 11 leaders, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is an evidence of success."

Muallem slammed the United States and accused it of exerting pressure on several Arab leaders not to attend the two-day summit.

"The United States and the others, who said that they exerted pressure on Arab countries in order to not to let them participate in the summit had failed to do so," said Muallem.

"We heard from those who attended about the pressure that the United States has exerted, and in spite of this pressure they attended and the summit will succeed."

Muallem also slammed French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his comments on the Arab League summit, saying "unfortunately, France has begun to follow the steps of the United States.

"We had never interfered into European internal affairs, therefore I wonder why they are interfering in Arab internal affairs," Muallem, said. "This issue is not only related to Syria, but also to all the Arabs."

"We will listen to Yemeni Vice President, who carries a letter from President Saleh. The Yemeni initiative will be discussed in the summit," Muallem said. "If Yemen needs any Arab help, we will of course help."

The Yemeni peace initiative provides that:

Gaza must be returned to how it was prior to the Hamas takeover last June.

- Agreement to hold early elections.

- Resumption of dialogue on the basis of the 2005 Cairo agreement and the Mecca agreement of 2007.

- Respecting the Palestinian Law and Basic Law and adherence to it by all parties.

- Reconstruction of the Palestinian security institutions.

- All Palestinian institutions to be free of any factional discrimination, subject to the law and the executive authorities.

Yemeni President Saleh's revised plan stated that a solution should be a wide-ranging agreement, reached by Palestinian factions in Cairo in 2005, as well as the Saudi-sponsored Mecca accord between Hamas and Fatah that led to the formation of a short-lived Palestinian unity government earlier last year.

The plan aims to promote "the unity of the West Bank and Gaza" - currently split between the two factions - and the unity of the Palestinian Authority through a single government in both Palestinian territories.

The revised plan aims at finding a face-saving formula that allows both sides to close the divide.

The plan calls for the restructuring of Palestinian security institutions, with the forces intended to come under the control of the Palestinian Authority and government rather than Palestinian factions.

A committee comprising a number of Arab countries would follow up the implementation of both the Cairo and Mecca deals.

Muallem called on Saudi Arabia to use its influence over the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon in order to resolve the political crisis gripping it.

"Saudi Arabia must use its influence over the majority in Lebanon to help find a solution," Muallem told Arab foreign ministers meeting in Damascus.

"The Syrian efforts alone are not enough. The Arab parties that are friendly with and have influence in Lebanon must exert efforts," he said.

"Syria is the first to suffer from the crisis in Lebanon and we will be the first to benefit from stability in Lebanon," the minister added.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since November 24, when pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud stood down, and presidential powers have been transferred to the cabinet.

Earlier, the speaker's office in Beirut announced that another parliamentary session to elect a new president had been postponed from Tuesday until April 22 amid continued deadlock between rival political leaders.

The decision marks the 17th time since September that such a session to elect a successor to Lahoud has failed amid a standoff between the Western- and Saudi-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, backed by Syria and Iran.