- Title: EGYPT: EMERGENCY TALKS CONTINUE ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE.
- Date: 6th April 2002
- Summary: (U4) CAIRO, EGYPT (APRIL 6, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: EXTERIOR OF ARAB LEAGUE BUILDING 0.04 2. MV: FLAGS OF ALL ARAB COUNTRIES INFRONT OF THE BUILDING 0.08 3. GV/PAN: ARRIVAL OF SECRETARY-GENERAL OF ARAB LEAGUE AMR MOUSSA 0.17 4. MV: ARRIVAL OF PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE MOHAMMED SOBAH 0.21 5. CU/MCU: (SOUNDBITE)
- Embargoed: 21st April 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Reuters ID: LVA4C10SGEPSOB07GNBLQE2U2VN4
- Story Text: Arab foreign ministers have begun an emergency meeting
in Cairo to discuss the spiralling Israeli-Palestinian
violence.
Palestinians had submitted a request on Tuesday (April
2) to the Cairo-based, 22-member Arab League to convene the
meeting to discuss rising tensions in the occupied Palestinian
territories following Israel's invasion of several West Bank
towns.
Arab ministers held consultations on Friday (April 5) and
the meeting was held on Saturday (April 6).
Dozens of Egyptian police in riot gear stood outside the
Cairo-based Arab League, where the meeting was taking place on
Saturday, a witness said.
Many Arab cities have seen angry demonstrations in protest
against Israel's nearly week-long military offensive in
Palestinian towns.
Arab officials and League sources said the talks in Cairo
would welcome a new U.S.-led push for Middle East peace and
stress Palestinians have the right to resist Israeli
occupation.
"Whoever wants to solve the problem has to negotiate with
President Yasser Arafat because he is the only one that can
talk on the behalf of Palestinians," said Libyan Foreign
Minister Abdel Salam el Teriky, ahead of the meeting.
"What is proposed now is stopping the Israeli aggression
on the Palestinian state and the Israeli incursion into
Palestinian lands. The Israelis have ended the peace process,
so Arabs must confront these challenges," he added.
The meeting follows talks between President Hosni Mubarak
and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal hours earlier
in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
An Arab League source said on Friday that the draft
resolution of the emergency meeting welcomes U.S. President
George W. Bush's speech about the right of Palestinians to
establish their own state. The source added: "The draft also
calls for a distinction to be made between terrorism and
resistance to occupation, stressing that Palestinian
resistance is a right enshrined in international laws and
treaties."
In a policy shift, Bush urged Israel on Thursday (April 4)
to withdraw from Palestinian areas and ordered Secretary of
State Colin Powell to the region to revive ceasefire talks.
But he also said Palestinian President Yasser Arafat had
betrayed his people's hopes and was responsible for the
position he was in -- besieged in his headquarters.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the ball was
in Israel's court. "Until Israel withdraws, the Arabs' stance
will remain unchanged," Egypt's Middle East News Agency quoted
him as saying late on Friday (April 5).
Moussa said he did not agree with all Bush's comments, but
added the speech had shown U.S. readiness for "swift action to
tackle with the current situation".
Syria's official SANA news agency said Foreign Minister
Farouq al-Shara would stay away from the meeting to protest
against the recent Arab summit's failure to apply Syria's
resolutions, particularly cutting ties with Israel and
reviving an Arab economic boycott.
Syria's League representative would attend instead.
Diplomats said Shara's absence would soften the ministers'
stances.
On Wednesday (April 3), Cairo took what analysts dubbed a
symbolic decision to scale down contacts with Israel.
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