March 24, 2006

SAUDI ARABIA STRESSES ITS SUPPORT TO THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. THE PALESTINIAN LEADERSHIP CONDEMNS THE ISRAELI ATTACK ON THE PRISON IN JERICHO AND CONSIDERS IT AN INSULT TO THE AUTHORITY. THE OIC MINISTERIAL MEETING IN JEDDAH TAKES A NUMBER OF STANDS TOWARDS REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS. PRESIDENT MUBARAK: CUTTING OFF SUPPORT TO THE PALESTINIANS WILL CAUSE FURTHER SUFFERING AND INCREASE TERRORISM IN THE REGION. A visiting Hamas delegation has said that it had been assured of Saudi Arabia's continued political and financial support despite U.S.-led moves to isolate the group. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told the movement's overall leader Khaled Meshaal in talks over the weekend that Riyadh "stands by its commitment to support the Palestinian people politically and financially," Hamas delegate Ezzat al-Reshq said. Reshq hailed the Saudi authorities for resisting the U.S.-led pressure to isolate the movement after its January election upset and to cut funding for a new Hamas-led government. But he would not be drawn on whether the Saudi side had urged Hamas to accept a Saudi-authored Arab peace plan based on a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The Arab initiative adopted at the [2002 Arab] summit in Beirut was spurned by Israel. One day after it was endorsed by the summit, [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon invaded the West Bank," Reshq said. "Israel rejected the plan ... and ignored all [peace] initiatives," he said when asked if Prince Saud had advised Hamas to consider the peace plan, under which Arab states offered Israel normal ties in exchange for its pullout from territories occupied in 1967. "We listened to the advice and observations of the Saudi brethren and there is mutual understanding," Reshq said. Arab leaders are expected to discuss the new situation in the Middle East following Hamas' election win during a summit in Khartoum on March 28-29, which will also coincide with Israel's election. The five-member Hamas delegation arrived in Riyadh last Friday. Reshq said the Hamas leaders briefed Prince Saud during a two-hour "fruitful" meeting on the group's efforts to form "a government based on a national coalition and national unity." They also outlined "Hamas' vision for the upcoming political phase and ... for dealing with the international situation," he said. Reshq said the Hamas delegation did not go into specific aid figures. "We are fully confident that the kingdom, as well as other Arab and Islamic states, will stand by the Palestinian people," he said. Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal said that the reason for his visit to the Kingdom was to seek political and financial support from the Saudi government in the wake of many countries vowing to halt their financial support to the Palestinian government. In an interview with Arab News, Meshaal said the reason for his visit was to discuss with the Saudi leadership the new developments in the Palestinian arena after the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections. "We are keen on holding talks with the Saudi leadership. We also seek its financial support which we have been accustomed to to the Palestinian people in these so difficult times," he said. Meshaal said US opposition to Hamas' electoral victory ran against the democratic values advocated by the country. "Our government came as a natural result from the ballots collected from election posts in Palestinian areas. It was a fair and democratic process that the entire world took notice of. The US administration should respect the free will of the Palestinian people," he said. Meshaal also spoke about his talks with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. "We discussed political views that concern the new government. We also briefed him on our Arab and Islamic tour plans," he said. On concluding their visit to the Kingdom, the Hamas delegation will move on to Kuwait, Bahrain and Malaysia. Meshaal said that the "numbers and figures have still not been discussed yet" in terms of financial assistance form the Kingdom. Regarding the EU stance to hold back funds as long as Hamas did not recognize Israel, Meshaal said the group should respect the will of the Palestinian people. On the other hand President Mahmoud Abbas received Hamas response to his formal accreditation letter given last month to Ismael Haniya, the newly appointed Prime Minister. Following receiving the response from Mr. Haniya in Gaza Presidential HQ, President Abbas told reporters that the meeting was positive and had a lot of understandings. He added that Haniya briefed him on the consultations for forming the new government, saying that Hanyia may need to complete the legal period to form the government, which is a five-week period. For his part, Hanyia said the meeting was constructive, adding that they (Hamas leaders) wish to end discussions to form the government soon. He said that the relation between the presidency and the cabinet will always be based upon cooperation, coordination and understanding. Meantime Israeli forces raided a Jericho prison, killed two Palestinians and arrested a jailed resistance leader after US and British monitors withdrew from the jail. Ahmed Saadat, leader of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) accused by Israel of involvement in the 2001 killing of an Israeli Cabinet minister, surrendered with his hands up after a daylong siege during which tanks and helicopters shelled the prison and bulldozers tore down part of it. Israeli forces captured five other prominent prisoners that they sought. A guard and a prisoner were killed in clashes with the Israelis at the jail where Saadat had been held since 2002 under US and British supervision. At least 10 people were wounded. Israeli soldiers first blew up the outer wall of the prison compound, then brought up bulldozers which began to take the building apart room by room as guards exchanged fire sporadically with the besieging troops. Around 300 prisoners surrendered during the raid. Furious Palestinians attacked offices linked to the United States and Europe in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and torched the British Council building in Gaza City. Palestinian gunmen also kidnapped nine foreigners, including an American university professor, and aid agencies pulled their foreign staff out of Palestinian areas. Two of them, including the American, were later freed. One PFLP gunman was killed in a clash with police trying to prevent kidnappings. Israel accuses Saadat, 51, of ordering the killing of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi in 2001. The PFLP said it assassinated Zeevi to avenge the killing of one of its leaders. Israel had agreed to allow the Palestinian Authority to keep Saadat in Jericho prison in a deal to end an Israeli siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah in May 2002. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the raid a "massive provocation" that could spark major unrest. Saadat's seizure would weaken Abbas and other moderates, he added. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of a "dreadful crime" as he toured the scene of an Israeli raid on a West Bank prison that sparked anger in the territories. "What happened is an unforgivable crime and an insult to the Palestinian people," Abbas said as he toured the complex. He condemned Israel's raid on a Jericho prison and the seizure of Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as a crime that would not be forgiven. Across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Palestinians went on strike over an Israeli operation that has boosted interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ahead of March 28 elections. Israeli security forces were on high alert after PFLP and the Hamas group promised retaliation as the four remaining foreign hostages, who were seized in response to the Israeli raid, were freed. Abbas said he could understand the anger of Palestinians but appealed for a halt to attacks on Western targets. "What happened in Jericho was a dreadful crime... Israel had no right to carry out this kidnapping," said Abbas, who cut short a European tour to manage the crisis. He acknowledged the Palestinian Authority had been warned that American and British monitors at the prison were set to be pulled out but said they were kept in the dark about the timing of their withdrawal just minutes before the Israeli assault. "As a consequence, there is definitely no responsibility for the Palestinian Authority about this issue," he told reporters. Abbas reiterated calls for Saadat and the other five Palestinians to be returned immediately to the previous custody arrangements. But Israel made clear there was no question of handing them back, five of whom it holds responsible for the 2001 killing of far-right Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi. Amid criticism of the raid from both the European Union and Russia two of the main players in the Middle East peace process Olmert strongly defended the operation, saying there had been no misgivings in either London or Washington. Russia expressed its "profound concern" at the Israeli raid and said it was critical to avoid an escalation of violence. British Prime Minister Tony Blair told MPs that the withdrawal had been forced by concerns for the monitors' safety. "For the past three months we have been warning the Palestinian Authority that the security of these monitors was at risk, that the procedures at the particular detention center were not adequate and proper." But outgoing Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Qidwa rejected his explanation. "We do not agree with the assessment that there was any direct threat to the monitors there," he told reporters. The four hostages Canadian teacher Adam Budzanowski, South Korean television correspondent Yong Tae-young and French journalists Caroline Laurent and Alfred Yacobzadeh were brought back to Jerusalem after being freed in Gaza City. In Jeddah the first ministerial meeting of the executive committee of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC troika) was concluded. Following is the text of the final communiqué issued by the ministerial meeting: 1. Based upon the decision of the 3rd Extraordinary Summit Conference held in Makkah Mukarramah on 7-8 December 2005 and after consultations made by the OIC Secretary-General with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen, Chairman of the 32nd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) and the Foreign Minister of Malaysia, Chairman of 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference (ISC), the OIC Secretary General convened the First Ministerial Meeting of the Executive Committee[1] of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 15 Safar 1427H (15 March 2006). 2. An invitation for participation was also extended to the Foreign Minister of Palestine[2] and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Iraq since the two issues of Palestine and Iraq were the Meeting's agenda. 3. The Meeting was chaired by Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qurbi, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen and Chairman of the 32nd Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM). 4. The Meeting discussed the following items included on its agenda: - The publication of the defamatory caricatures. - The issue of Palestine. - The Situation in Iraq. THE PUBLICATION OF THE DEFAMATORY CARICATURES 5. The Secretary-General presented a report on the efforts made and the measures taken by the General Secretariat to address the crisis which arose from the publication of the defamatory caricatures in September 2005 until the recent visit made by the Secretary-General to the United Kingdom from 8 to 10 March 2006. The participants expressed their appreciation for the extensive efforts and the important contacts made by the Secretary-General in this regard. 6. The Meeting took note of the Tripartite Statement issued upon the initiative taken by the Secretary-General and signed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the European Union (EU) High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy on 7 February 2006. The Meeting also endorsed the Joint Doha Statement issued on 25 February 2006. 7. The Meeting considered the conclusions issued by the EU Council of Foreign Ministers on 27 February 2006, which were extremely disappointing for the Muslim World. These conclusions had clearly acknowledged that "freedoms comes with responsibilities" and that "freedom of expression should be exercised in a spirit of respect for religious and other beliefs and convictions. Mutual tolerance and respect are universal values we should all uphold". Regrettably, the conclusions did not include any agreement on taking collective steps to prevent the recurrence of such defamations in the future. 8. The Meeting agreed that the OIC Member States and the OIC Secretary General would continue to review and exert efforts at all levels in order to achieve the following objectives: (a) The adoption of a resolution by the 61st session of the UN General Assembly with a view to preventing the defamation of religions and religious symbols, proscribing blasphemy, the denigration of all prophets, and preventing the recurrence of such defamatory acts in future. (b) The implementation of the Doha Statement, particularly with regard to developing a comprehensive strategy to prevent the defamation of religions and take necessary measures to that effect. (c) The effective utilization of both the EU-OIC Joint Forum as well as the Alliance of Civilizations, with a view to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding among cultures and civilizations. (d) The intensification of contacts with the international community, particularly European countries, with a view to urging them to engage in greater cooperation and encourage Muslim Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to initiate a constructive dialogue, use good offices, and follow up this issue with their European counterparts with a view to promoting the true values of Islam and underlining the tolerant and humanitarian message of Islam. 9. The Meeting urged all OIC Member States and Muslims worldwide to exercise rationality and restraint in meeting the challenges of the current crisis. THE ISSUE OF PALESTINE 10. The Meeting commended the Palestinian legislative elections, which have demonstrated the ability of the Palestinian people to organize free and democratic elections, as attested by all observers. The meeting expressed its appreciation and respect for the will of the Palestinian people. The Meeting further reiterated its full support for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and its institutions and for the Palestinian national dialogue aimed at forming a national-unity government. The Meeting called on the international community to respect the will of the Palestinian people and avoid any preconceived judgments on the new Government. The Meeting also invited the international community to refrain from applying prohibitive standards to the elected Palestinian leadership. The Meeting called on the Quartet Committee to bring necessary pressure to bear upon Israel in order to put an end to its practices, which are in contradiction with the Roadmap and the international legality, and condemned the unilateral Israeli measures carried out by the occupation authorities, including the isolation of the eastern sector of the West Bank (the Jordanian Ghor) from the rest of the Palestinian territories. 11. The Meeting strongly condemned Israel's brutal aggression on Jericho jail on 14 March 2006, which resulted in the killing of a number of Palestinians and the arrest of the Popular Front's Secretary General and his inmates. This aggression further demonstrates Israel's violation of international agreements and conventions. The Meeting, accordingly, appealed to the international community and the Quartet to immediately intervene in order to put an end to the continuous Israeli aggression and to ensure the immediate handing over of the Palestinian inmates back to the Palestinian authority. 12. The Meeting requested the international community to stop the double standard policy in dealing with the Palestinian issue and to adopt balanced measures towards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people so as to relieve them from the daily suffering and aggression to which they continue to be exposed. 13. The Meeting called for empowering the Palestinian people to establish their independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, the Roadmap, the UN Security Council Resolution 1515, and other relevant international resolutions. The Meeting called on the international community to support and help the Palestinian people and their national economy to meet their urgent needs in the occupied Palestinian territories. 14. The Meeting reaffirmed the centrality of Al-Quds Al-Sharif for the Muslim Ummah and condemned the Israeli measures aimed at altering the Arab-Islamic identity of this holy city by attempts to isolate it through settlements and separation wall; by depopulating it; and by attacking its Islamic and Christian sacred shrines. The Meeting therefore underlined the seriousness of the Israeli threats and warned of the dangers to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, particularly from the excavations that Israel is making beneath the very foundations of the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attempts by extremists to assault this sacred shrine. 15. The Meeting paid tribute to the efforts of the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), including his international contacts to explain the position of the OIC on the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The Meeting urged continued efforts to be made in cooperation with the Member States and the international community so as to exhort them to continue to provide political and material support to the Palestinian people in order to enable them to achieve their independence and establish their independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. THE SITUATION IN IRAQ 16. The Meeting expressed deep concern at the deteriorating security conditions in Iraq, including attacks on mosques and other places of worship and warned against the grave repercussions of this situation, not only for Iraq but also for the entire region. The Meeting strongly condemned all acts of terrorism and sectarian violence. The Meeting strongly emphasized the need to preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Iraq and appealed to all Iraqis to transcend their differences and exercise maximum self-restraint with a sense of national responsibility and to work with dedication towards accelerating the formation of a broad-based and all-inclusive government that meets the aspirations of all Iraqi parties. 17. The Meeting expressed its support of all regional and international initiatives aimed at achieving national reconciliation in Iraq and also commended the efforts made by the League of Arab States. The Executive Committee supports the call of Iraq's neighboring countries urging the international community to exert greater efforts aimed at achieving security and stability and rebuilding the Iraqi economy. 18. The Meeting reaffirmed its determination to follow up developments in Iraq as well as its readiness to continue to work to restore a permanent and sustainable peace and stability. The Meeting recommended to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, considering its credibility among Iraqis, to continue to work, in close coordination with the Arab League, towards establishing a climate of harmony and understanding that is conducive to building lasting peace and security in Iraq and the entire region. The Meeting requested the OIC Secretary General to follow-up and co-ordinate related activities on this issue and recommended the following measures: i. The establishment of an OIC Contact Group on Iraq. ii. Addressing the various Iraqi sects on the basis of the OIC Ten-year Programme of Action adopted by the last Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah Mukarramah. iii. Visit to Iraq by the OIC Secretary General. iv. Submit Iraq's proposal for opening an OIC coordination office in Baghdad for consideration by the forthcoming 33rd ICFM. On the other hand a Palestinian official has said the Palestinian president rejected Hamas's proposed government programme, but Hamas and sources close to Mahmoud Abbas have dismissed the claim. The Palestinian official, asking not be identified, said: "[Abbas] rejected the Hamas government programme which was presented to him by prime minister-designate Ismail Haniya because the principal political points in it have to be clear for the international community." But later Sami Abu Zuhra, a Hamas spokesman in the Palestinian territories, and Nabil Abu Rudaina, Abbas's spokesman, both denied the claim. Abu Zuhra, reaffirmed "the distinct relationship" between Hamas and Abbas. "Such relationship is based on harmony, understanding and co-operation," he said. Abu Zuhra denied that Hamas had introduced a political programme to President Abbas. "The letter submitted by Haniya involved the movement's acceptance to the designation of forming a new Palestinian government and that efforts are continuing to form a new government as soon as possible," he said. Izzat al-Rashiq, a member of Hamas, said: "We do not get notified of the positions of Abu Mazin [Abbas] through media sources. When there is something, we are notified officially. Moreover, they have denied this [report] through Nabil Abu Rudaina." Under the Palestinian Basic Law, Haniya had three weeks to form a government, with the option of a two-week extension if he needs more time to agree a line-up and win parliamentary approval for it. That would give Haniya until 28 March - the same day as a scheduled general election in Israel. Farahat Asaad, a spokesman for Hamas in the West Bank, said the group would be ready to submit details of the new Palestinian government to the Palestinian Legislative Council before the end of the week. On the other hand Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urged Israel and Hamas to talk to each other once Hamas forms a new government, saying both sides must change hard-line positions to avoid further violence and chaos. Mubarak also appealed to the international community to continue financial aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian government, declaring the cutting off such support would cause further suffering and increase terrorism in the region. Mubarak spoke to reporters after meeting with President Heinz Fischer as part of a European tour. As a second step, said Mubarak, Hamas "would have to renounce violence" against Israel, expressing confidence that the group "will accept all solutions" set down by the international community as conditions for recognition and further support. Meantime the Arab League Assistant Secretary General for Palestinian Affairs Mohammed Sobaih has warn from the Israeli measures of Judaization in the Palestinian territories. He said the measures taken by the Israeli authorities to redesign the borders in 2010 and separate the Jordanian Ghawr proves the Israeli policy of aggression. He added that the Arab League has prepared five files on the Palestinian issue to be reviewed by the Arab Summit in Khartoum.