August 25, 2006

A MESSAGE FROM THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES TO PRESIDENT MUBARAK ON THE SITUATION IN THE REGION IS DELIVERED BY PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL. PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL REVIEWS WITH AMR MOUSSA AND A NUMBER OF ARAB MINISTERS THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE ARAB ARENA. THE ARAB LEAGUE PRESENTS TO THE ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS A DETAILED MEMORANDUM ON THE ARAB AID TO LEBANON AND PRAISES SAUDI ARABIA'S GENEROUS SUPPORT. THE FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING. Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak received the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. Prince Saud Al-Faisal delivered a message to Egypt's President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz. The message dealt with the developments in the Arab arena, especially the Israeli war against Lebanon. The meeting was attended by senior officials .The meeting was attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Ghait and other senior officials. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, arrived to lead the Saudi delegation at the extraordinary meeting of the Arab foreign ministers, due to be held in the Egyptian capital later. Prince Saud was welcomed at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul-Ghait and a number of senior officials. Egyptian Foreign Minister Abul-Ghait pointed out that President Mubarak returned the message which included Egypt's view on the steps to be followed in order to reach a just solution for the Middle East problem according to international resolutions and the Arab initiative. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal met with the Secretary General of Arab League Amr Mousa. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region and the reconstruction of Lebanon in addition to a number of issues of mutual interest. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal lead the Saudi delegation to the deliberations of the Extraordinary Arab Ministerial Council at the Arab League headquarters under the chairmanship of UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid. The council deliberations discussed four essential issues: Arab Ministerial report which had briefed the UN on the Lebanese issue before the issuance of 1701 resolution, developments of Arab efforts to hold a high-level meeting to discuss a way to the Arab-Israeli conflict at all accounts, an Arab projector mechanism to help Lebanon in reconstruction, and follow-up of consultations to hold an Arab summit. This council comes within the framework of implementation of the decision issued at the Extraordinary Arab Ministerial Meeting in Beirut on the 7th of August. An official source at Arab League said that the council constitutes a transitional point of Arab League efforts from solidarity phase when Lebanon was under attack to the phase of handling the massive destruction caused by the Israeli aggression and enabling the Lebanese government to reconstruct the infrastructure. The 15 Arab foreign ministers, who began work on an extraordinary meeting in Cairo to discuss the situation in Lebanon, affirmed their countries' full support to Lebanon's struggle against the Israeli aggression on its territories. In his speech, Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh called for a unified Arab and international stance to rebuild his country, saying that investment in Lebanon is worth it on the national and humanitarian spheres. He said that Lebanon would follow up the diplomatic and political endeavors to ensure that Israel compensates his country for the arbitrary damage it had caused. He added "we will show the world the reality of Israel's criminal acts". Salloukh stressed that the previous Arab foreign ministers meeting in Beirut and the resolutions it had adopted were a practical step in the joint Arab action. He said that the Security Council resolution 1701 has had some serious characteristics for the seven-point plan, however, he added that these characteristics necessitated full-fledged follow-up and support for the Arab ministers. He said that the Lebanese government has begun implementing the resolution according to the stages stipulated by it topped by "our priorities to secure the Israeli army withdrawal comprehensively to behind the blue line and lift the Israeli air and maritime siege. He also called for the importance of liberating the Shebaa farms and Kfar shuba as well as releasing the Lebanese prisoners according to a logical and comprehensive solution. For his part, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qorbi called for the importance of continuing the political and diplomatic endeavors to secure implementation of resolution 1701 in an appropriate manner in order to meet the Lebanese government-proposed seven-point plan. He also urged for unification of Arab efforts to rebuild Lebanon, calling at the same time the Arab countries and the Arab League to enhance the mechanism of Lebanon's reconstruction along with the international community and in coordination with the Lebanese government. Furthermore, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol Ajawin stressed that the persistent Israeli aggression on Lebanon has proven that Israel does not want peace, thus, "the peace process has actually vanished". He also lashed out at the Israeli savage aggression against Gaza Strip and the rest of the Palestinian territories that is targeting civilians and destroying the infrastructure besides the siege and destruction of homes which form as war crimes according to the international humanitarian laws. Arab peacekeeping forces can participate in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh said. "Lebanon is looking forward for Arab contribution to rebuilding the country, " Salloukh told reporters. Peace and stability will be achieved by the deployment of the army and UNIFIL in southern Lebanon, said the top Lebanese diplomat. The Lebanese Minister called upon Arab Foreign Ministers to increase their efforts in rallying Arab support for Lebanon. He stated that the Foreign Ministers will issue a resolution regarding the matter. He condemned the Israeli violations of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 1701, saying "It is well-known that the Israel does not respect international laws and they will continue their violations". The UN General Kofi Annan affirmed the occurrence of the Arial and Sea violations, Salloukh pointed out. He mentioned that Italy, Spain, Denmark, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and France, which already sent to 200 soldiers, promised to send troops to join UNIFIL. The Arab Foreign Ministers have reiterated their support to Lebanon and its government. The Arab Foreign Ministers, who ended their extraordinary meeting here on Sunday, saluted the resistance of the Lebanese to the aggression and their solidarity with their government. The communiqué issued at the end of the extraordinary meeting lauded the role played by the Arab league's ministerial delegation through its contacts and negotiations with the members of the UN'S Security Council and the UN'S secretary general. The Arab foreign ministers welco0emd the decision of the Lebanese government to send troops to south Lebanon , and urged the security council to put pressure on Israel until it ends the air, land and sea siege imposed on Lebanon, because such a siege constitutes a violation to the resolution 1701 issued by the security council. The ministers held Israel responsible of the aggression and its repercussions, and said Israel should compensate the Lebanese for the human, moral and material losses inflicted on them. The ministers said the practices of Israel during its aggression were viewed as war crimes. The ministers thanked the countries which had extended urgent assistance to Lebanon and welcomed their declaration to continue relief assistance to victims of the war and contribute to the reconstruction of Lebanon. The ministers emphasized the importance of an Arab effort for contribution to the reconstruction of Lebanon and extending support to the Lebanese economy in coordination with the Lebanese government. The ministers called on the Arab economic and social council to hold an extraordinary session for this purpose in Beirut. The ministers assigned Arab League's Secretary General Amr Mousa to take the required measures for implementing this decision. On the developments of the situation in Darfur province, the Arab foreign ministers urged the African union to continue its efforts and perform its mission in tackling Darfur crisis. The ministers said sending of any other troops to the province requires the approval of the Sudanese government. The ministers urged the Arab countries to extend financial and material support to the mission of the African Union so as to enable it perform its mission, and at the same time they urged the Arab African countries to strengthen their participation in the forces and observers of the African union in Darfur. They asked the Arab countries to pay the cost of the forces of the African Union in Darfur for a period of six months effective October 1, 206. The ministers asked the UN'S Security Council to give more time to the Sudanese government to carry out the plan of improving the situation and enhancing the pillars of security in Darfur. The plan was presented by the UN in Aug 2, 2006. They called for the postponement of the meeting of the UN'S security council, due to be held next week in New York with the participation of the African Union, the Arab league and the organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) so as to give more time for further consultations and coordination among the regional organizations concerned with the situation in Darfur on the role of the forces of the African Union in the province. The ministers also called on the Arab countries to honor their commitments in line with the resolution adopted at Khartoum summit, held in march 2006, pertaining to the forces of the African union stationing in Darfur, and to work with all concerned parties for reaching a peaceful settlement in Darfur. The ministers welcomed the peace agreement in Darfur singed in the Nigerian capital on May 5, 2006. The ministers urged the Sudanese armed groups which have not yet signed the peace agreement to sign and join the peace agreement. The ministers called on the international community to extend support to the African Union so as to enable it effectively contribute to the implementation of the peace process in Darfur. The ministers urged the Arab countries to extend material and humanitarian assistance to Darfur and to extend the required support to the process of the return of the displaced and refugees as well as reconstruction of the province. The ministers appraised the efforts of the Arab league's secretary general and asked him to continue his effort with the Sudanese government and the concerned Sudanese, regional and international parties to boost the peace process in Sudan. On the proposed Arab summit, the Arab foreign ministers assigned Arab League's Secretary General Amr Mousa to continue the required consultations and contacts for convening the proposed Arab summit. On the call of the security council to hold a meeting at a high level to review means for the settlement of the Arab Israeli dispute, the Arab foreign ministers urged the security council to hold the meeting at the ministerial level in September to review means for the settlement of the Arab Israeli dispute in line with the resolutions 242, 338, 1397 and 1515, issued by the security council, and the land-for-peace principle. The ministers assigned the Arab group in New York to submit the official request for the convening of the meeting of the Security Council. Arab foreign ministers said the African Union (AU) should continue and complete its mandate to tackle the crisis in Darfur, particularly sponsorship for the peace agreement and monitoring of the ceasefire. The top diplomats, in their statement at the conclusion of an extraordinary meeting, said sending international forces to Darfur required the approval of the Sudanese government. This position echoed that of Khartoum. The foreign ministers reiterated need of extending financial support for the AU mission in Darfur to guarantee its continuity. They called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to give the Sudanese government enough time to improve the conditions and security in Darfur. The Arab top diplomats called on the Sudanese armed groups to sign the Abuja peace agreement for Darfur. The Arab League presented to the Arab Foreign Ministers a detailed memorandum of aid offered by a number of Arab countries to Lebanon as a result of the Israeli aggression. The donor countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Morocco. The memorandum said that Saudi Arabia has granted Lebanon USD 500 million to be used for reconstruction of the country, usd one billion as a fixed deposit, 17 million Saudi riyals of donation campaigns from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, 10 million riyals from the Crown Prince and five million riyals from the Interior Minister. The memorandum said that Kuwait has offered Lebanon USD 300 million, a fixed deposit of USD 500 million at Lebanon Central Bank, USD 15 million for the Lebanese relief Committee, USD six million in emergency supplies and USD two million allocated for four international relief agencies. The UAE, the memorandum said, was committed to removal of mines planted by the Israeli army in south Lebanon, while Algeria said it had dispatched emergency supplies. The memorandum said that Iraq has offered USD 35 million to Lebanon while the Iraqi president Jalal Al-Talbani offered 100 million Iraqi dinars. It said that Libya has mobilized an air bridge to meet the necessary relief supplies of medicines and food stuffs to Lebanon. Arab Foreign Ministers' Council decided to request for a UN Security Council (UNSC) ministerial meeting to be held in September to discuss a settlement for the Arab-Israeli dispute. The decision noted that the call for UNSC ministerial meeting was in line with UNSC resolutions 242 of 1967, 338 of 1973, 1397 of 2002 and 1515 of 2003 as well as the land-for-peace principle. The decision aims to specify mechanisms to swiftly resume direct negotiations between involved parties under complete supervision of the UNSC, which would set the negotiations' timetable and provide international guarantees for the implementation. The Arab foreign ministers tasked the Arab group in New York to submit an official request for the meeting to the UNSC. They also tasked the UAE - Chair of Arab Foreign Minister's Council - and Qatar, the sole Arab UNSC member, the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and members of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee to hold necessary talks to implement this decision. The Arab Foreign Ministers Council's request for a ministerial-level UN Security Council meeting aimed to return the Middle East issue to the UNSC instead of leaving it with parties biased toward Israel, said Sunday the Arab League Chief Amr Moussa. At a press conference co-held with the UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, the Arab League secretary general said the requested meeting would revive the peace process, noting that Arabs were convinced that the current peace process failed. Moussa said Arab support for Lebanon has been continuous since the war started, noting that Arab foreign ministers decided today to hold a meeting for Arab finance ministers in Beirut soon to discuss developing Lebanese economy. He noted that several Arab states financially supported Lebanon through the Lebanese central bank and by contributing to reconstruction. Regarding Israeli violations of UNSC resolution 1701, Moussa noted each Israeli violation would be faced with similar response, pointing out UN Secretary General Kofi Annan denounced Israeli violations. He pointed out there were no Arab decision to participate within the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Moussa warned great powers of extreme bias for Israel, asserting such extremism would not spare a chance for Arab moderation. The UAE Foreign minister, who chaired the Arab foreign ministers meeting, said the Arab delegation to the UNSC submitted during the meeting a report on his visit to New York. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed said the Arab delegation achieved a relative success, which reflected the Arab dedication for the seven-point plan -- sponsored by the Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora -- and the courageous Lebanese resistance. The UNSC resolution 1701, he said, was a good decision although Arabs had some reservations on it, he said. Asked about the possibility of a reconstruction race between Arabs and Iran in Iran, Sheikh Abdullah said that such a race would be positive regardless of its competitors. Sheikh Abdullah said the Arab foreign ministers did not specify a date for an Arab summit, noting that Moussa was tasked with holding talks to specify the date and place of the summit. He said that details of the next Arab summit would be clearer once the Arab Foreign Ministers' Council meet in September. Sheikh Abdullah added the extraordinary Arab foreign ministers' meeting discussed means to support Lebanon as well as the Sudanese Darfur issue.