Ordinary Arab summit in Qatar wrapped up, issues Doha Declaration, document to enhance Arab reconciliation, solidarity

Summit stresses intent to go ahead with Arab solidarity march based on King Abdullah's initiative

Doha Declaration underlines solidarity with Sudan, rejects ICC decision on Bashir

Summit reiterates support for Palestinian rights, demands trial of Israelis over war crimes in Gaza

Arab leaders reject settlement, call for Palestinian state with Jerusalem as capital, Israel's withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories

The leaders and heads of delegations of Arab countries wrapped up their 21st Ordinary Arab summit in Doha.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud led the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the summit meeting.

At the outset of the session, the Secretary General of Arab League read the Doha Declaration issued by the 21st summit.

For his part, Libyan President Col. Muammar Al-Gaddafi expressed welcome of the Arab leaders in Libya who hosts the 22nd Arab Ordinary summit.

Regarding the peace process in the region, he underscored the importance of two points: Palestinian refugees and Israeli nuclear arsenal.

However, he expressed satisfaction over the current inter-Arab relations.

In his address, President of Sudan Omar Hasan Al-Basheer hailed Doha summit's endeavor to purify Arab differences and overcome problems.

He thanked Arab leaders for their firm support for his country's fight against the International Criminal Court and for the issue of Darfur.

He described the Palestinian issue as pivotal and central. Then the Emir of Qatar thanked the attendees and announced the end of the 21st summit.

Leaders and heads of delegations of Arab countries participating in the 21st Arab Summit asserted their commitment to Arab solidarity.

This came in Doha Declaration which was read by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

The Doha Declaration read:

"We, the leaders of Arab countries attending the 21st session of the Council of Arab League at summit level in Doha, declare as follows:

We commit to Arab solidarity and adhere to the Arab noble values and traditions. We also stress the respect of sovereignty of all Arab countries as well as their legitimate right to defend their national independence, resources and capabilities.

We stress the settlement of Arab differences through constructive dialogue as well as the work to enhance Arab relations. We call for continued efforts to develop and modernize the system of joint Arab action. We salute the Palestinian people who are resisting the Israeli brutal aggression on Gaza Strip and we stress support of their resistance to this aggression.

We condemn the barbaric Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip and we call for stopping Israeli attacks, holding the cease-fire, lifting the unjust siege on Gaza Strip and opening all crossings. We hold Israel responsible of legal and material liabilities of its war crimes and violations of international law and international humanitarian law. We demand the international community to prosecute those responsible for these crimes and bring them to international courts.

We express our full support of Arab efforts to end the division in the Palestinian national ranks and enhance Palestinian national unity.

We call for the cessation of the Israeli unilateral policies, including the immediate cessation of all settlement activities, the elimination of the apartheid wall and the preservation of Islamic and Christian holy places in addition to not prejudicing Al-Quds.

We emphasize the non-acceptance of Israel's procrastination and delay and we emphasize the need to identify a specific time frame for Israel to fulfill its obligations towards the peace process.

We stress the need to reach a just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in the framework of international legitimacy.

A just and comprehensive peace in the region will only be achieved through ending the Israeli occupation and withdrawing from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Arab Golan in addition to reaching a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees and establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Al-Quds as its capital.

We vow support for Sudan and reject the International Criminal Court's decision to apprehend Sudan's President Omer Hasan Ahmed Al-Basheer. We also express commitment to support stability in Darfur.

We reiterate our commitment to respect Iraq's integrity, sovereignty, independence and its Arab Islamic identity. We also support the political move based on full participation of all Iraqi political and other spectrum according to Arab summit resolutions.

We support the election of Shaikh Sharif Ahmed as President of Somalia, the formation of transitional government and transitional parliament.

We hope that Iran respond to UAE's initiative to solve the problem of its three islands.

We reiterate our denunciation to all forms of terrorism. We demand the world community to work to make the Middle East free of all mass destruction weapons and coerce Israel to sign a non-proliferation nuclear treaty and make all its nuclear facilities subject to IAEA inspection.

We confirm Arab countries' right to nuclear peaceful technology.

We hail efforts exerted in the Arab countries to strengthen the principles of transparency, responsibility, interrogation and popular participation and to proceed with political and social reforms.

We call for intensifying dialogue among cultures and peoples and support for the principles of fraternity, tolerance and respect of humanitarian values.

We welcome Kuwait's economic, developmental and social summit resolutions, confirming our endeavor to create the grand Arab Duty Free Zone to pave the way for a common Arab market.

We demand the world community to effectively participate in the efforts aiming at the implementation of the millennium development goals, eradication of poverty and hunger and double financial support for the least developed countries.

We underscore the importance of child care and youth welfare.

We emphasize on paying special attention to the Arabic language.

We thank Qatar's Emir and people for warm welcome and generous hospitality and Arab League's Secretary General for his organization's effort to upgrade Arab joint action.

Meanwhile, Qatari Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani has highlighted the meeting held between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, and said it was a positive meeting.

Sheikh Al-Thani expressed appreciation for the initiative of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to start the Arab reconciliation at Kuwait economic summit.

"With this initiative, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz wanted to open a new page in the Arab-Arab relations and bury Arab differences," he said.

Sheikh Al-Thani pointed out that a sense of responsibility had prevailed at Doha summit which was culminated into positive decisions.

On the other hand, The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has affirmed that the recently concluded 21st Arab Summit in Doha, "carries a key importance, as it represents the first political summit held in the wake of the war on the Gaza Strip and provides an occasion to articulate an Arab position on the situation in the Middle East."

Responding to questions from journalists on the sidelines of the Summit that concluded on Monday in Doha, he pointed out that the positive outcome of the Summit will no doubt serve the interests of the OIC, as all Arab countries are members of the Organization.

The Secretary General noted that the importance of the Doha Summit emanates from the number of dossiers it put on the discussion floor, particularly the political developments related to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and the stabilization of the security conditions in Iraq, as well as the favorable developments in Somalia.

Ihsanoglu attributed the Summit's importance to its timing, as it was held following the election of a new American president and the relationship of this event to a host of key issues in the Middle East. "Arab countries, too, need to define an Arab position vis-à-vis the Israeli government and the position of Israel towards the peace process in the region."

The Secretary General praised the efforts deployed by Qatar to heal the rift among the various Arab parties, affirming that, "The OIC highly appreciates Qatar's efforts... The point is that all Arab countries are Member States of the OIC".

Referring to Sudan, Ihsanoglu pointed to the communiqué issued early this week by the Expanded Executive Committee at the ambassadorial level, announcing the Committee's decision rejecting the ICC's arrest warrant against President al-Bashir, dubbing it 'groundless and irrational'.

The Committee called upon the UN Security Council to suspend the execution of the warrant just as it called on the ICC to revoke its decision.

The Secretary General commended the communiqué's denunciation of the double standards deployed in approaching the issue of war crimes, according to a press release issued in Jeddah.