Pan-Arab, Arab-South American summits conclude in Qatar

Summit issues declaration affirming establishment of independent Palestinian state

Summit supports calls for active financial system, structuring fair int’l relations

Agreement between GCC states, Latin American countries to follow up free trade negotiations

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 Hassan Al-Bashir 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.

According to Qatar News Agency, the leaders also pledged to support the reconstruction of Gaza and attempts to reconcile rival Palestinian factions, and to hold Israel to a timeline for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said in the communiqué: "We, the Arab leaders meeting at the 21st Arab Summit in Doha, are committed to strengthen Arab solidarity and preserve Arab values, security of Arab countries and legitimate rights of Arab states to defend their national independence and resources.

"We confirm to settle Arab differences through constructive dialogue and maintain Arab ties. We salute the Palestinian resistance and deny the Israeli assault on Gaza", the communiqué said. "We call for a constant cease-fire, stop the blockade and open all the border crossings and hold Israel accountable for all the war crimes and violations of international law, it added. It said "We support all Arab efforts to enhance Palestinian unity and we ask Palestinian factions to respond to those efforts in order to reach geo-political unification of Palestinian territories".

Moussa noted, "We are strongly denying the unilateral Israeli policies, the colonization activities and we call for the destruction of the separation wall. We call on Israel to set a timeframe to commit to the peace process and take clear measures to reach that peace based on the Arab peace initiative and international references."

Arab heads of States pointed out to that the Israeli-Arab conflict must be resolved, Golan Heights in Syria and Lebanese farms of Shebaa should be restored. The communiqué reiterated its respect to the unity, sovereignty and independence of Iraq while supporting the political course based on the participation of different Iraqi groups.

The Arab leaders called on Iran to respond to the UAE initiative to find a solution for the three UAE islands, through direct talks or through the International Court of Justice. The leaders also denied any form, source or reason of terrorism and agreed to eradicate terrorism. They stressed on the importance of eradication of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Israel should adhere to the treaty on the non proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The leaders said that the IAEA must give guarantees about the nuclear activities and facilities of Israel. Arab countries have a legitimate right to own nuclear technology used for peaceful purposes in order to serve their development programs and support their economy and diversity of energy resources. Arab leaders also confirmed their continuous work to form an Arab free zone in order to develop Arab economic partnerships, increase Arab investments and prevent negative impact of the financial crisis.

Moussa concluded the final communiqué by urging the international community to support developing countries to fill the gap between rich and poor countries. He also underlined the importance of enhancing the national identity of Arab children, provide job opportunities for Arab youth and emphasize on the importance of Arabic language that reflects the culture, identity and heritage.

Then the Emir of Qatar thanked the attendees and announced the end of the 21st summit.

The one-day Second Summit of Arab-South American Countries closed with the adoption of an 11-point declaration on politic affairs, the Middle East peace process, and financial and economic cooperation.

The declaration covers such major issues as the Palestinian-Israeli peace, the situation in Iraq, the Sudan issue, the fight against terrorism, international cooperation and response to the ongoing global financial crisis.

On the Middle East peace process, the declaration reaffirms the need to reach a just, durable and comprehensive peace in the region on the basis of the principle of land-for-peace and relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly.

The declaration reaffirmed the need of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, living side by side with Israel, and the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories to the lines of 1967, including the Golan Heights and the dismantling of settlements including those in East Jerusalem.

The declaration says that the Arab and South American leaders attending the summit expressed their respect for the Palestinian legitimacy under the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and appreciated his efforts with all Arab and Palestinian parties to achieve national reconciliation and ensure that the Palestinian dialogue succeeds.

In the declaration, the Arab and South American leaders deplored the Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip, and calls for the immediate reopening of all the crossing points between Gaza and Israel, and for lifting of a seize against the Gaza Strip.

On the situation in Iraq, the Arab and South American leaders reaffirmed the need for the respect of unity, freedom, sovereignty and independence of Iraq and the right of non-interference in its internal affairs, respect of the will of the Iraqi people to freely decide their own future, and strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and violence affecting, particularly, the Iraqi people.

On the Sudan issue, the declaration welcomes the initiative of the Arab League and the African Union to resolve the Darfur crisis, and calls on all the Sudanese factions to respond positively to the initiative to ensure its success.

However, it falls short of mentioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

The declaration also expresses support to the Arab Initiative calling for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, and reaffirms the importance of the accession of the all the countries in the region to the NPT (Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty).

It reiterates the importance of regional security and stability in the Middle East, which requires the evacuation of the area of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, in addition to the importance of regional and international cooperation to strengthen the fight against terrorism and drugs.

The declaration also condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations of terrorism, and is against the association of any people, religion, race or culture with terrorism.

On economic and financial cooperation, the declaration says that the Arab and South American leaders reaffirmed that peace, security and stability in their regions are to be considered the main pivot to enhance economic prosperity and achieve sustainable development.

Ahead of the G20 financial summit, the declaration expresses concern at the ongoing global financial crisis and its ramification on 34 economies. It calls for the establishment of an international financial system to prevent financial speculation and to convene an international conference in the framework of the U.N. to carry out the debate on the global financial crisis and its solutions.

On energy cooperation, the leaders said they will foster the building of mechanisms for cooperation and information-sharing in the sector of oil, natural gas and other energy sources, including exchanges of technical expertise, technology transfer, and human resources training.

The declaration said the leaders recognize the efforts and initiatives in the field of energy developed in South America, which aim at alleviating the socioeconomic situation of developing countries.

The leaders agreed to exchange experiences on use of energy for a sustainable development of energy, according to the declaration. The leaders expressed their appreciation on the proposal that the United Arab of Emirates to host the Headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, it says.

The declaration also urges south-south cooperation to promote capacity building and the exchange of expertise in development, innovation and fighting poverty. Although the two blocs are geographically far apart from each other, they each have a major oil producer -- Saudi Arabia in the Arab world and Venezuela in South America -- among the world’s largest oil exporters.

Both sides are keen to step up trade and investment flows. The Arab world and South America together make up 10.5 percent of the world’s population. The first Arab-South American Summit was held in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, on May 10-11, 2005.

The first summit ended with the passage of Brasilia Declaration, which dealt mainly with trade and political issues. The idea of holding such a summit came from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva during his visit to the Middle East in December 2003, which covered Syria, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Libya.

According to the Doha declaration, the third summit of Arab and South American nations will be scheduled for Lima, Peru in 2011.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H.E. Ahmed bin Abdullah al Mahmoud said that the joint meeting between the Arab foreign ministers and south American countries ministers was positive and dealt with several political, economic and cultural issues covering dialogue of civilizations besides environmental, sustainable development, scientific and technical cooperation. H.E. the Minister reaffirmed Qatar's readiness to welcome leaders of the Arab and south America's countries in Doha by end of this March for the Arab summit and the Arab and south American countries summit. This came in joint press conference H.E. the Minister of State held with Chile deputy foreign minister and the Arab league deputy secretary general Ahmed bin Hilli following the end of the joint meeting of Arab and south America's countries ministers.

President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, who is also President of the South American Countries Federation, said the Arab-south American States Summit, could contribute to pushing forward the dialogue between the two sides started five years ago. President Bachelet greeted H.H. the Emir, the government and the people of Qatar for the proper preparation of this summit and bringing about all the requirements for its success.

She noted that the South American countries federation, which combines of 12 states, is committed to the mechanism of the Arab-South American cooperation and is willing to continue its hard efforts in a bid to achieve the interests of the member states in the economic and social development. Chile’s President expressed appreciation for the initiative launched by the GCC Countries and the South American market meant to boost the commercial and economic cooperation between both sides, urging both of them for more dialogues and agreements that would enhance their joint political, economic and commercial cooperation.

President Bachelet reiterated the support of the South American countries to the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people's right in establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and to live in peace and harmony alongside Israel, in accordance to the international legitimacy and the UN resolutions.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco underlined that the 2nd Summit of the Arab-South American States ushered in a new phase in a promising process which brings our countries together in a bid to build a better future and to promote the South-South cooperation for development, from which the peoples of both sides would benefit, thanks to dialogue and partnerships inspired by the values of peace and solidarity.

In a speech delivered on the Moroccan King's behalf by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, King Mohammed VI said that Morocco, as the Arab world's gateway to South America, was one of the first countries to seek a serious partnership between our two groups, and thus hosted important meetings, both before and after the Brasilia Summit.

The Moroccan King underlined his country's keenness to give concrete meaning to this partnership, through constructive initiatives that help build bridges of dialogue and cooperation, and promote peace and security in the world, particularly in our respective troubled regions. The summit was being convening amid difficult international economic and financial circumstances, therefore both groups must make an effort to develop the Arab-South American institutional framework, promote economic cooperation between the two sides and boost trade relations through optimal use of resources and of all the opportunities, the Moroccan King said.

The Moroccan King urged for joint mechanisms for developing comprehensive cooperation projects, with the contribution of government agencies and economic stakeholders. The King underlined the importance of strengthening consultations and sharing experiences to reinforce capabilities and means of action. "This would make it possible for us to respond to security challenges and risks, and enhance coordination and cooperation between us in order to address the growing problems and cross-border scourges that affect our regions, such as various forms of terrorism, drug trafficking and the proliferation of light weapons, not to mention the acute problem of illegal immigration."

The Arab-South American partnership strategy cannot achieve its targeted goals without optimally using respective countries'' rich, diverse, time-honored cultural heritage, of which peoples are so proud, he noted. The Moroccan King expressed hope that this important gathering would be an effective mechanism for tackling the economic and social repercussions of the current crisis, and that it would serve as a platform for enhancing institutional framework, and for imparting fresh dynamism to partnership in order to rise to development challenges and fulfill the aspirations of peoples, who yearn for solidarity, concord, progress and peace, and who look forward to a free, dignified life.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas voiced his appreciation and thanks to the South America's countries for their supporting the Palestinian cause and their condemnation of the Israeli recent aggression against Gaza. Addressing the Arab- South countries Summit, currently in session in Doha, the Palestinian President hailed at the Arab-South America countries summit discussing the Palestinian Question, necessity of implementation of the international legitimacy, and the establishment of the Palestinian State with al-Quds as its Capital.

The Palestinian President stressed the need to continue holding such summits between the two sides with a view to consolidating the Arab-South America countries ties by taking practical steps including meetings of the businessmen from both sides and exchange of expertise. The Palestinian President underlined that there was now a serious work aimed at achieving the inter-Palestinian reconciliation under the sponsorship of Egypt. He urged the coming Israeli government, which he termed as extremist, to recognize the international legitimacy and stop its settlement activities President Abbas called for mounting international pressure on Israel for the sake of achieving peace.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for holding an international peace conference to be represented at high levels and to include also representatives from the developing nations aiming at reaching a solution for the Palestinian cause. In the speech delivered at the Arab-South American States Summit, President Lula da Silva said after years of negotiations that were cut off due to military operations, neither a Palestinian independent state nor a peace agreement was achieved.

He asserted the importance of achieving the inter-Palestinian reconciliation, which he said could not be reached unless all concerned parties were joined in the peace process. The Brazilian President expressed thanks and appreciation for the Qatari sponsorship of this summit, noting that his country has a strong desire to further bolstering the cooperation between the Arab world and the South American states through minimizing the geographical distance and enhance the economic and commercial ties.

He noted that the South American states went on negotiations to sign free trade agreements with the GCC countries, Egypt and Jordan and other customs tariffs agreements with Morocco.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged both the South American and Arab countries to boost cooperation and coordination in the political and economic fields and other domains of mutual concern in order to face the arrogance of the great Powers.

Addressing the 2nd Arab and South American States Summit in Doha, Chavez highlighted the importance of the summit which must be used to fulfill the aspirations of both sides. The Venezuelan President reiterated his country’s support for all Arab rights including the Palestinian cause, and condemned the Israeli actions against the Palestinian people mainly its last aggression against Gaza Strip. President Chavez voiced appreciation to H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for Qatar's role in holding and hosting such significant summits and gatherings.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez called on the Arab countries and Latin American countries to boost bilateral cooperation and partnership in a bid to confronted the new world system and enhance means of economic development, especially in light of the current critical global situation.

Speaking at the second session of the Arab-South American countries summit started here this morning, President Fernandez urged to assist the developing economies in both sides and activate their role in order to rank amongst the international economies. She also stressed the need to maintain the strong cultural and economic bonds between the Arab and Latin nations in a bid to realize the common goals of these nations.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa has expressed thanks to H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for Qatar’s hosting the Second Summit of Arab and South American States and for the idea of establishing cooperation between the Arab world and South American states. Moussa also thanked the South American leaders for attending the second summit as well as the 120 businessmen who met with some 200 Arab businessmen, noting that several joint agreements were signed following the forum that gathered the two sides before the Summit.

Moussa referred to the first summit held last year in Brazil which inaugurated the cooperation process between both sides and represented an implementation of the initiative proposed by Brazilian President Lula da Silva. Speaking at the summit opening session, the Arab League Secretary General highlighted the political coordination between the two sides as the South American countries showed a notable support for the Arab issues, including the condemnation of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza strip. He noted that the South American States defended and supported the Arabs against the negative claims that targeted the Arab World and the Islamic culture, through their participation in the international forums discussing the alliance of the civilizations.

His Highness the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah thanked the state of Qatar for hosting the Second Arab and South American Summit and Brazil for hosting the first.

He said: "Our summit aims to reinforce the cooperation on political, economic, and social levels among our countries and people. We have held many meetings since the Brasilia declaration and we are trying to accomplish the recommendations of this declaration" HH the Emir said in his speech that was distributed to the summit.

"We value the South American initiative to establish a regional league similar to the Arab league in order to enhance the common interests", he noted.

About the challenges facing ASPA countries, HH the Emir said "Our meeting is held during the economic crisis that affected all the countries including Arab and South American economies. We must cooperate and consult to alleviate the repercussions of this crisis. We call on the international community to establish a financial system able to stabilize the world economy".

Concerning the Arab economy he said, "Kuwait has hosted the economic and social development summit that issued important resolutions able to boost the living conditions of Arab citizens. I emphasize the initiative to support the private sector and the small and medium enterprises in the Arab world at USD two billion among which USD 500,000 had been provided by Kuwait".

His Highness the Emir rejected the Israeli assault on Gaza that led to a huge death toll and destruction, saying it was a violation of all human rights and international agreements.

He valued the support of South Americans to the Palestinian people and their condemnation to this dangerous attack.

"We are fully aware that the Middle East must be a weapons-free zone and that Israel must adhere to the treaty of non proliferation of WMD. All countries have the right to own nuclear power for peaceful purposes, he noted.

His Highness the Emir concluded by saying: "We reaffirm the efforts to fight terrorism and the destruction of our cultural heritage. And we stand with the international community to confront this terrorist risks".

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed al Khalifa expressed hope that the second summit of the Arab-South American states summit which kicked off in Doha would be a valuable addition to the ties between the two influential blocs.

Speaking at the summit, the Bahraini foreign minister said that both the Arab world and South American have a mutual desire to exchange benefits and protect their interests out of their keenness to contribute to enhancing the international relations based on justice and cooperation.

The Bahraini minister pointed to the efforts made by the two sides, at regional and global levels, asserting their desire of working together to bring about security and stability into the world, through their fully commitment of the principles and convention of the UN and its respect for human rights principles as. Concluding, he expressed his country’s readiness, being a major financial and banking hub in the world, to play an effective role in developing the banking relations and supporting the joint Arab-South American investments.

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali called for intensifying cooperation between Arab and South American countries.

In an address on the occasion of the holding in Doha of the second Summit of Arab and South American Countries the Tunisian Head of State expressed his conviction that the “Two great geographical poles are capable of playing an active role in the causes of security, peace and development in the world.”

He also stressed the similarities between Arab and South American development policies and economic conditions which he said “can only prompt us to give the sought impetus to economic exchanges.”

President Ben Ali said that cooperation between the two regions could be achieved with a view of bridging the digital divide, promoting tourism, and increasing investment in promising sectors such as transport, the environment and scientific and technological cooperation.

Expressing his satisfaction at the understanding and support of the South American group of countries for the Palestinian cause, President Ben Ali renewed his call to “push ahead the peace process in the Middle East to enable the Palestinian people to recover its legitimate rights and establish an independent state, which will provide security and stability for all peoples of the region.”

He also stressed the importance of granting further care and attention to youth by “promoting dialogue with them in all fields and at all levels.”

President Ben Ali said that Tunisia had called for proclaiming 2010 a “World Youth Year” during which an international youth conference will be held in Tunis under the aegis of the United Nations, adding that the conference “would come out with an international pact to serve as a strong tie binding the world’s youth to the common universal values.”

In a related event, the Final declaration of the 21st regular Arab Summit which was held in the Qatari capital, backed President Ben Ali’s initiative for the proclamation of 2010 as “World Youth Year”, as well as the holding in Tunis of a World Youth Summit under the aegis of the United Nations.

The GCC countries and the Mercosur grouping, the Common Market of the Southern Cone, signed a joint declaration in which the two sides stressed the necessity of starting negotiations regarding signing of a free trade agreement.

The joint declaration was singed for the GCC side by Oman’s minister in charge of foreign Affairs and president of the current GCC ministerial council session Youssuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, and for the Mercosur states by Paraguay foreign minister Alejandro Hamed Franco and the GCC secretary general H.E. Abdurrahman bin Hamad al Attiyah. The two sides welcomed the 2nd summit of the Arab- South American states under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, expressing conviction that the summit will positively contribute to boosting the cooperation between the Mercosur states and the GCC countries.

The two sides also expressed satisfaction over the trade exchange between them, following the singing of an economic cooperation agreement in 2005 and the increasing investments between the private sectors in the GCC countries and the Mercosur states. H.E. the GCC secretary general hailed the speech delivered by H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani at the opening session of the Arab- south American states summit, noting that H.H. the Emir stressed the significance of pushing forward the ties between both sides. For his part, Paraguay’s foreign minister described the signing of the joint declaration as a positive and very important step, assuring that the Mercosur states will work hard in order to enhance the cooperation with the GCC countries.