January 12, 2007

KINGDOM CALLS FOR A STRONG STANCE FROM THE UN TO ALLOW PALESTINIAN TO RETAIN THEIR RIGHTS AND FOR THE ISRAELIS TO ABIDE BY INTERNATIONAL LAW. AGREEMENT IS IMMINENT TO RELEASE PALESTINIAN PRISONERS. SENIORA ANNOUNCES ECONOMIC REVIVAL AND REFORM PROGRAMME. Saudi Arabia made its position very clear at the United Nations' Asian Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The representative of the Kingdom underscored the position of his country in support of the struggle of the Palestinian people for peace and statehood. He called for protection of the Palestinian people against Israeli terrorism and violence. No one doubted the ability of the Israelis to justify violence and its stark violation of international law, believing it is an entity above international law. He said that the Israelis would not have continued their defiance of international law if the Security Council had not encouraged their aggressive path with its lack of enforcement of resolutions. Israeli control of sea and land space in Gaza made the Palestinian people virtual prisoners. He called on the Israelis to recognize the right of the Palestinian people, to return to the original 1967 borders and agree to the return of refugees. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the opening session of the United Nations Asian Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Kuala Lumpur, that the situation in the West Bank was dire. Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Palestinian Authority and representative of Palestine, Nasser Al-Kidwa, responded. "The UN cannot, in my opinion, be neutral or even-handed, because it cannot compare between the occupier and the occupied people," he said. The United Nations must play a central role in the peace process and it must "remain honest and act as the embodiment of international law." "All of us, and especially the UN, must uphold international law, including the cessation of Israeli settlement and wall expansion, and an end to violence and terrorism," he cautioned. "We need fresh thinking and a new beginning. More of the same will not take us anywhere, especially to a comprehensive peace in the region," Al-Kidwa said. Invited to the meeting are eminent personalities, including high level officials from the Host Government and the Palestinian Authority, international experts, including Israelis and Palestinians, representatives of United Nations Member States and United Nations Observers. Also invited are parliamentarians, representatives of the United Nations system and other organizations, academics, non-governmental organizations and the media. On another level, President Mahmoud Abbas said that his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is a good start for resuming the peace process. He welcomed the positive statements by Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert on the Arab Peace Initiative. In a statement released by the Office of Abbas, he welcomed Olmert's readiness to go back to the negotiations table on the bases of the Road Map and Arab Peace Initiative, which leads to the establishment of an independent territorially integrated Palestinian state and a just and agreed upon solution to the refugees issue in accordance to the UN resolution 194. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated he might release some Palestinian prisoners in the coming days. After his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Olmert urged his Cabinet to reconsider its attitude toward releasing some of the estimated 8,000 Palestinian prisoners in custody. Both Egypt and Jordan have stepped up their efforts to try to iron out differences. The two countries are said to be playing a "significant" role in bringing about a prisoner exchange between the Israelis and the Palestinians. On the Lebanese front, Prime Minister Fouad Seniora announced an economic revival and reform programme that his government intends to present to a conference of donors at Paris. Seniora told a news conference held at government compound in downtown Beirut that the government would convene to ratify the accord. The programme for "economic-social revival and reconstruction" focuses on: sparking development and modernizing the economy; reforming the social status and strengthening social security networks to protect limited-wage sectors; major financial reform, a privatization program aimed at encouraging investment and creating new jobs; a conservative monetary policy; and an exchange policy to support the national currency, according to the report. In line with drawing a policy to achieve the five major points, the sixth, and the most important part, of the government scheme calls for "seeking international financial backing for Lebanon" from the Paris III conference of donors at the French capital of Paris. Seniora also warned that failing to gain international support would further escalate the state debt and "the Lebanese economy would enter a very serious era." Muneer Tabara, the Secretary General of Beirut Merchants' Society, has called for helping Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora and the Governor of Lebanon Bank so as to enable them to organize Paris Conference 3. In a press statement, he said Paris Conference 3 constitutes the last change for the national economy. 'We should not miss this chance, and we should work for making the conference successful', he said. He pointed out that the conference will make it possible to provide Lebanon with more than $4 billion worth loans and assistance.