ALGIERS: Arab leaders said on Wednesday that the Palestinian cause was still central for them after their first summit meeting in three years.
The final declaration after the meeting in Algiers pledged continued Arab support for the Palestinian cause, said Jerusalem must be protected, condemned Israel’s use of violence against Palestinians and urged Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.
The 31st ordinary session of the Arab Summit wrapped up on Wednesday at the International Conference Centre in Algiers after a plenary session chaired by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Delegated by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, HH Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs, Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, headed Oman’s delegation at the summit.
The Arab Summit covered a range of topics, including the political developments on the Palestinian cause, activating food security initiatives, developments in Libya and Yemen, Arab security cooperation and developing the Arab League, among other topics.
In his speech, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi called for adopting a comprehensive approach aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Arab countries to confront crises and ensuring the strength and unity of the Arab nation, stressing that Arab security is an indivisible whole and the difficulties facing the Arab world are common.
For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his aspiration to form an Arab legal committee to follow up inhumane operations against the Palestinian people, calling for every effort to be made to support the Jerusalem conference to be held in Cairo.
Shaikh Mishaal Al Ahmad Al Jaber al Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, stressed the global challenges imposed on Arab countries to advance the process of joint Arab action, including developments in Ukraine and their effects on the economic and humanitarian side.
Algeria’s ambassador to Egypt and permanent delegate to the Arab League Abdelhamid Chebira underlined a convergence of views between the Arab leaders on all political, social and economic issues affecting the Arab region.
In a statement on the sidelines of the summit, Chebira underlined that there is a total convergence between the Arab leaders on all the political issues affecting the region.
The economic decisions included in the “Declaration of Algiers” will have “very positive effects on all the Arab countries, and will open up prospects for partnership and investment in different fields,” said the source.
Underscoring that the economic decisions will take the lion’s share in the “Declaration of Algiers” crowning the works of the 31st Arab Summit, he said that “all the obstacles hindering development in the economic fields between the Arab states were evaluated, notably those related to the development of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA).” – Agencies
