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September 1, 2006 |
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PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL STRESSES THE ENDEAVOUR OF THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES TO GO BACK TO OUR ARAB IDENTITY AND TO TAKE SERIOUS ACTION IN MAKING OUR VIEWS CLEAR AND UNIFIED TO PROTECT OUR INTERESTS. THE FOREIGN MINISTER: IF ISRAEL WANTS TO LIVE IN THE REGION ITS SECURITY SHOULD NOT BE BASED ON OTHER PEOPLES' SECURITY. ANNAN: WE ARE STILL FACING THE DANGERS OF WAR AND THE SOUTH MUST INCLUDE AN AREA FREE OF WEAPONS. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the foreign minister, held the periodical press briefing at the headquarters of the foreign ministry. At the outset of the statement, he said the region is currently witnessing an intensive political activity to enhance cease-fire and implement the un security council resolution no. 1701 and probe the overall political process in the aftermath of the recent jog that hit the region. We underscore the importance of the recent extraordinary Arab League foreign ministers meeting and its decisions, most important of which are the assertion of complete Arab solidarity with Lebanon, provision of political and economic support for it so that it could preserve its national unity, security, stability and sovereignty and rehabilitation in addition to the call of the un security council for considering the Israeli Arab conflict in a radical and comprehensive form in view of the extreme danger emanating from the continuation of the status quo at the expense of regional and international security and peace. As for the call for convening an extraordinary Arab summit, he said as we all know the kingdom has no reservation on such a proposal except that, as I mentioned in the meeting, it should be well prepared in a way that meets the Arab summit aspirations and issues dramatic decisions that tackle the current Arab situation and produces some qualitative way of reaction as what is required as the current phase is the objective assessment of the role of the Arab league and its member states and fixing the fruitful and effective approach of work that enables it to accomplish its job. What is required now is to overpass what we can call the reaction meetings where people are satisfied with denunciation statements to move to the tangible and positive actions of the world of today in a way that responds to the aspirations of the Arab nation peoples and snatch them from the current state of upset and frustration. Prince Saud gave an account on the Arab League's development. He said the organization was established as an alliance that draws clear lines to the bilateral relations of its member states and their relations with others. There was consensus on the nature and the core of threats and the joint aspirations of cooperation but as the Arab League expanded and its membership increased and its members witnessed dramatic changes and political fluctuations, this led to domestic pressures that affected the joint Arab path. For instance, the Arab countries were classified to reactionists and progressive and the countries of steadfast and confrontation a matter that led to the joint Arab paralysis and whereby it managed to deal with its joint matters periodically and routinely instead of dealing with it according to a strategic perspective that complies with our Arab belongingness. We are facing the danger of losing our identity as some Arab countries have built relations with other parties at the expense of other Arab member states. Accordingly, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques instructed that the required studies to change the disastrous situation changes be conducted. This is what we are doing now. As soon as we complete it, it will be presented to the Arab leaders to consider it. This does not mean that we are going to obstruct any attempt of holding of any urgent extraordinary conference that will be called for by any other party. The current phase necessitates serious and strenuous work to restore confidence of our peoples and respect of the world community. This will not by realized by wishes but through the return to our Arab identity and serious work to unify and clarify our visions towards the requirements of that interest. In response to a question on whether there is a mechanism to stop the repetition of the Lebanon's case, he said this is what the kingdom is seeking through forging a new identification for the bases on which the joint Arab work is based and the strategies required to avoid reactions and be prepared for facing the crises and precede them through correct planning and clear approach. Asked about the position of the kingdom in case of a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran or imposition of economic sanctions by the UN Security Council on it, he said we are dealing with Iran as an Islamic neighboring country who has its own policies and positions and relations with others including its regional strategies which necessitate on her the way it reacts to regional or external threats facing it. However, if such assumptions, or any, took place, we were to consider them at the time. Now, we cannot respond to such assumptions based on threats and predictions. On the emergence of a rational thinking during dealing with the war on Lebanon, Prince Saud wished that that would have happened; saying that we hope that rationalism would prevail in any Arab country. As for the international situation, we are facing a real defect in our Arab approach. He repeated what he said in the introductory statement about the need to forge a strategy for joint Arab work rather than deal with reactions for actions done by others. He called for proceeding with the initiatives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in this regard. On the need to identify the word victory following the war in Lebanon, Prince Saud said the real victory for Lebanon is to rebuild the destroyed cities, towns and villages, remain united and regain its sovereignty on all its territories. Lebanon has to score self-victory which is far difficult than defeating the enemy, he told reporters. Asked about whether there is a second initiative by the king for reforming the Arab League, Prince Saud explained that the study ordered by the monarch is designed to hold a well-prepared Arab conference which will restore unity and Arab identity and approach to tackle the nation's hot issues. Even though differences between Arab factions and countries would go too far, the Arab nation would never be an easy bite for other parties to swallow, he said. On the situation in Iraq and how the Arab countries would do something to stop the bloodshed in the Arab country, Prince Saud said Iraq is in bad need for national reconciliation. The Arab League's endeavor in the past, led to the convening of Iraq's reconciliation conference which led to the holding of elections and the formation of a legitimate government, he added. he described the initiative launched by Iraq's Prime Minister as good and that if it succeeded, it would leave a positive impact on the situation in Iraq. On the king's visit to turkey recently, Prince Saud said it resulted in more close ties between turkey and the Arab world in all fields. In response to a question on the support provided by the kingdom for Lebanon, Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia was presenting its relief and assistance to Lebanon as a whole and not as categories or groups. This will continue to be our path, he added. In response to a question, he called on the world community and the un security council to consider Sudan's demands not to deploy international forces on its territories and venture taking procedures that would rather aggravate the situation. He suggested that what is required in this case is cooling the matter down rather than provoking it, particularly when the forces go to Sudan without political ceiling, he said. On the other hand Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, met at his office in Jeddah with all heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to brief them on the critical situation in Lebanon following the Israeli hostilities. During the meeting, Prince Saud highlighted the ordeal witnessed by Lebanon as a result of the Israeli attacks and cast light on the critical situations of a crisis Lebanon was never part of. He said the incidents witnessed by Lebanon and the destruction of its infrastructure, the killing of its innocent people and the demolition of properties have created a disastrous situation in Lebanon expected to trigger the world community to respond to that need and crystallize a strong and serious international will to support that country in a way that convinces the Lebanese people that the world community is standing beside them. Prince Saud urged the world community to provide utmost levels of support, each according to its ability and at all economic, political, diplomatic and military levels in order to snatch Lebanon out of its catastrophe, alleviate the sufferings of the Lebanese people, reconstruct the devastated country and bolster its security, stability and sovereignty over all its territories. He said the support for Lebanon comes in line with the UN Security Council's resolution no. 1701 and that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia would provide all the diplomatic mission accredited to it with a list of the urgent requirements and needs which, if met, would help alleviate the sufferings of the people, and rehabilitate the country's infrastructure, including housing units and armed forces. On their part, a number of heads of missions, led by the dean diplomatic corps accredited to the kingdom, praised this initiative presented by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and vowed to urge their respective countries to come to the support of Lebanon. In turn, the representative of the Lebanese embassy thanked the kingdom's government and people for the strenuous efforts it was exerting in support of Lebanon and Lebanese people, noting that this is not surprising as the Saudi government was and still supporting Lebanon's stability, national integrity and prosperity, and citing the achievements of the historical Al-Taif agreement that ended the civil war and bolstered the national unity of Lebanon. Meanwhile Prime Minister Fouad Saniora said his government planned to pay 33,000 dollars in compensation to families whose homes were destroyed in southern Lebanon during the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Saniora, who spoke before heading to Sweden to attend an emergency conference on humanitarian and reconstruction needs, said 130,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged in Lebanon during the war, including 50,000 in the southern suburbs of Beirut. He said the compensation package of 33,000 dollars, plus 7,000 dollars for furniture, did not concern the latter, but did not provide details on the number of homes destroyed in the south of the country. Saniora said he planned to ask countries attending the meeting in Stockholm to sponsor rebuilding in around 38 southern Lebanese villages that suffered heavy damage during the 34-day conflict. It was sparked by the July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers during a cross-border raid by Hezbollah. The Lebanese premier also said he would appeal for mobile homes to temporarily house thousands displaced by the war. Saniora rejected criticism of his government in the aftermath of the war saying that while it may have been slow to respond at the beginning it was now "present and active" in tackling the huge challenges it faced. "The government is bearing up to its responsibilities ... and will do its utmost to improve services," he said. The Lebanese government has come under intense criticism for reacting too slowly to the population's needs once the war ended, while Hezbollah moved quickly to compensate victims. Saniora appealed for national unity, saying that Lebanon's various factions needed to stick together to help the country recover. "Today more than ever, we need national unity to help the government stand on its feet," he said. Saniora said the conference in Stockholm was only an initial step in efforts to help Lebanon and should be followed by a donor's conference. Much of southern Lebanon lies in ruins following the war and the government has estimated the overall cost of damage at 3.6 billion dollars. Saniora also said that he refused to have any direct contact with Israel and Lebanon would be the last Arab country to ever sign a peace deal with the Jewish state. "Let it be clear, we are not seeking any agreement until there is just and comprehensive peace based on the Arab initiative," he said. He was referring to a plan that came out of a 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut. It calls for Israel to return all territories it conquered in the 1967 Middle East war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem -- all in exchange for peace and full normalization of Arab relations with Israel. Israel has long sought a peace deal with Lebanon, but Beirut has hesitated as long as Israel's conflicts with the Palestinians and Syria remained unresolved. Saniora said Lebanon wants to go back to the 1949 armistice agreement that formally ended the Arab-Israeli war over Israel's creation. The European Commission said Wednesday it will pledge $54 million at the conference on top of the $64 million that the European Union's head office has already earmarked for emergency relief to Lebanon. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berry received Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdulaziz Khojah. During the meeting, the Ambassador stressed Saudi support for Lebanon. On the other hand U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ended his visit to Beirut after touring war-battered south Lebanon and meeting with UN peacekeepers there. From Lebanon, the U.N. Chief arrived in Israel for talks with Israeli leaders. He is expected to discuss the Jewish state's crippling blockade of Lebanon and a potential prisoner swap. The U.N. chief's visit to Israel is the second leg of an 11-day Mideast tour that would take him to Syria and Iran -- Hezbollah's main benefactors. Annan and his entourage left Beirut Tuesday morning in two white United Nations helicopters, and landed in Naqoura, a town on the Mediterranean coast about 4 kilometers north of the Israeli border, and home to headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. Annan was briefed by French Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, the UNIFIL commander, and other top officials, and then reviewed an honor guard of U.N. troops in blue berets standing at attention on the green lawn inside the U.N.'s white-walled compound. A military band played alongside them. Annan laid a wreath at a monument for peacekeepers killed in Lebanon since UNIFIL deployed there in 1978. Muslim and Christian clergymen said prayers, and the U.N. chief stood in silence in front of a display of portraits of those killed, including four UNIFIL members killed in an Israeli airstrike on their base in Khiam on July 25. Annan left Naqoura after about 2 1/2 hours and flew along the border by helicopter, surveying UNIFIL posts by air before heading south to Israel. Annan, wearing a business suit, shook hands with members of the 2,000-member force, which is being expanded to 15,000 under the U.N. resolution that halted fighting between Israel and Hezbollah on Aug. 14. Flags of countries contributing troops to UNIFIL, including Annan's native Ghana, fluttered in the breeze as the band played their national anthems. Annan pressed Hezbollah to release two Israeli soldiers, whose July 12 capture started the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war, and called on Israel to lift its sea and air blockade. After talks with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, the U.N. chief faulted both Israel and Hezbollah for not living up to key sections of the cease-fire resolution, and warned that fighting could resume if the parties did not abide by the full resolution. "Without the full implementation of resolution 1701, I fear the risk is great for renewal of hostilities," he said. He also toured a bombed out neighborhood in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut, where hundreds of residents booed him as he toured the ruins. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan chided both Israel and Hezbollah, saying they could not "choose and pick" parts of a U.N. cease-fire resolution to implement, and demanded Hezbollah release two captured Israeli soldiers and Israel lift a blockade on Lebanon. Visiting Beirut on the first leg of an 11-day Middle East tour, Annan called U.N. resolution 1701 "a fixed menu." "It's not a buffet ... It's not an a la carte menu where you choose and pick. We have to implement 1701 in its entirety and I hope that all parties will pay attention and act in that spirit," he said in a press conference with Prime Minister Fouad Saniora. "Without the full implementation of resolution 1701, I fear the risk is great for renewal of hostilities." The top U.N. diplomat also said he was renewing his "call for the abducted soldiers to be free." He urged Hezbollah to transfer them to the Lebanese government "or a third party" under the auspices of the international Red Cross. "We, the U.N., will be prepared to play a role if we are required to do so. And I offer our services," he said. Hezbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid July 12 that started the 34-day war. Annan also urged Israel to lift its air and sea blockade on Lebanon. "I'm working with them and a number of international partners to see to it that this is done," he said. He said the lifting of the blockade will be one of the first items on his agenda when he visits Israel on Tuesday. Annan obliquely renewed the U.N.'s call for Hezbollah's disarmament. "In Lebanon there should, as we have all agreed, be one law, one authority, one gun," he said. Annan however said it was not the duty of U.N. forces to disarm Hezbollah but to monitor the ceasefire. He said the U.N. peacekeepers would only open fire if attacked. Annan hailed Lebanese efforts to control its borders, including with neighboring Syria from where Israel says arms are smuggled into the country by Hezbollah. "I am satisfied with the steps the government is taking to control those borders, once it is done it will be very satisfactory," he said. Meanwhile, Annan held a private meeting with Energy Minister Mohammad Fneish, a top Hezbollah official, in Beirut on Monday, a senior Lebanese official told AFP. "Annan held a private meeting with Minister Mohammad Fneish, in the presence of Annan's representative in Lebanon Gier Pedersen," said the official. Later, Saniora led Annan on a tour of Beirut's southern suburbs, an area that was ravaged by Israeli air strikes during the 34-day war. Hundreds of Lebanese shouted pro-Hezbollah slogans and booed him as he toured the rubble-strewn streets. Many carried posters of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and one man carried a large portrait of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with vampire's teeth. The crowd mobbed Annan's heavily guarded motorcade, and security agents ran along both sides of the vehicles. Annan met separately with Premier Saniora and Speaker Nabih Berri, who serves as Hezbollah's de facto negotiator. "This is a very critical time for Lebanon, and I think it's important that I've come here myself to discuss with the Lebanese authorities the aftermath of the war and the measures we need to take to implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and to underscore international solidarity," Annan told reporters after being met at the airport by Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. Before touching down, Annan asked to fly over Beirut's southern suburbs that were heavily bombed by Israel during the month-long war, according to a military official at the airport. "We are entering the stage of recovery and reconstruction," Annan said after his meeting with Berri. "We have a chance now to have a long-term cease-fire and a long-term peace (in Lebanon), and we all need to work together and this is the purpose of my visit here," he said. Annan said Lebanese government officials assured him they would "faithfully" implement the U.N. cease-fire resolution Berri said his talks with Annan focused on the punishing Israeli air and naval blockade on Lebanon which, he said, was in violation of the U.N.-brokered truce and insisted that Lebanon had abided by all the terms of the ceasefire. Annan visited the U.N. peacekeeping force's headquarters in the coastal town of Naqura, by the Israeli border, before heading on to Egypt and then Amman, Israel and Syria. Head of the Future bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri said the Lebanese government will rebuild the country as it succeeded in stopping the war and in pressing major world powers to include Lebanese demands in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Speaking after talks with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is visiting Beirut as part of a regional tour, MP Hariri also rejected calls for a change in government. MP Hariri told reporters after the meeting, which was attended by special UN envoy for the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1550 Mr. Terje Roed-Larsen, that discussions focused on steps aimed at implementing Security Council Resolution 1701. He stressed that it should be carried out quickly to end all military action and to pave the way for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation troops from Lebanese territory, adding the "enemy" should not remain on Lebanese soil. Speaking to reporters at the Movenpick Hotel, where the UN Secretary General is residing during his visit to Beirut, head of the Future bloc pointed out that Mr. Annan's support of Lebanon has been unwavering since the martyrdom of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. MP Hariri was asked about calls "by Hezbollah and General [Michel] Aoun" for a cabinet change, he said the government of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora will continue to carry out its mandate, since it is a government of 'resistance,' and was able to get Israel out of Lebanon, and include Lebanese concerns in Resolution 1701. Describing Premier Saniora as a statesman, MP Hariri made clear that his government will reconstruct all the houses that were destroyed during the war. Head of the Future bloc had accompanied the UN Secretary General, and Mr. Terje-Roed Larsen, joined by Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh, to assassinated Prime Minister Hariri's grave in downtown Beirut, where Mr. Annan laid a wreath. On the other hand US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said that he hoped direct talks with Hezbollah, Palestinian group Hamas and Syria would secure prisoner exchanges with Israel. "We need to break the silence," said Jackson upon arrival in Beirut. Jackson said he was due to meet with President Emile Lahoud and religious leaders and officials from Hezbollah, which captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12 to force a swap of prisoners held in Israeli jails. Jackson was accompanied by 12 people including a rabbi. |
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