HE the Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah attending the opening session of Arab
Foreign Ministers meeting, in Kuwait City, yesterday.
The State of Qatar has called for effective and constructive efforts to meet the challenges being faced by the Arab nation.
This came in a speech delivered by HE the Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah at the preparatory ministerial meeting of the 25th Arab summit, due to be hosted by Kuwait today.
Addressing the meeting, HE al-attiyah said that the Arab nation is going through a historic phase in which responsibilities are growing and threats are multiplying. He described the challenges facing the Arab countries as “urgent and serious”.
Al-Attiyah expressed confidence that Arab nation can deal with these challenges through effective and constructive steps.
On the Palestinian issue, Dr al-Attiyah said: “We are all aware that the stalled peace negotiations were due to the intransigent positions of the Israeli government, its violation of the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the international law, implosion of the fait accompli and the intensification of settlements, especially in Jerusalem.” He warned that such practices put the entire region in danger.
In this context , he stressed that peace, security and stability in the Middle East will only be achieved after finding a just and lasting solution that fulfills the full legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
In this respect, the Foreign Minister called on Israel to abide by the requirements of the peace process and to halt its illegal practices, assault on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic and Christian sanctities, the Judaisation of East Jerusalem and the continuation of the settlement policy which reached its peak and gravity by the most recent decisions taken by the Israeli government.
Dr al-Attiyah said: “In this context, the time has come for a real Palestinian reconciliation. We must double our efforts for collective action to end the inter-Palestinian differences and support the unity of the Palestinian people’s factions on the foundations that ensure the provision of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the restoration of their rights.”
On the Syrian issue, HE al-Attiyah said the situation has become more complicated due to the increasing suffering of the Syrian people inside Syria and the high number of refugees and displaced. He called for intensified and concerted efforts with the international community to end this tragedy through the use of all means of the international legal measures.
HE the Foreign Minister reiterated Qatar’s full and unreserved support for all that would salvage Syria from this painful ordeal, achieve security and stability in that country, avert foreign intervention in its internal affairs, maintain the unity of the Syrian territory and people and support Arab and international efforts aimed at achieving the will of the Syrian people and their legitimate aspirations.
In the same context, Dr al-Attiyah said: “We all have to provide forms of material and political support, maintain firm solidarity with the Syrian people, strengthen the capacity of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and work actively to stop the killings and displacement of the innocent Syrian people.”
He also called for using all means to urge the Security Council to impose a cease-fire, considering it the only way to end the acts of killings and destruction perpetrated by the Syrian regime against the Syrians and to begin a political transition process in Syria, through which the Syrian people could enjoy freedom and dignity.
“We reiterate today that we, in the State of Qatar, support a political solution that protects the lives, and we also reiterate our commitment to continuing the provision of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people,” the Foreign Minister said.
On developments taking place in the Arab region, Dr Al-Attiyah said the transitional stages experienced by some Arab countries require serious national dialogue on various levels and the favouring of national interests as a prelude to the stability, because the state of chaos, terrorism and instability is inconsistent with national and Arab interests.
Referring to the presidency of the Arab Summit, Dr al-Attiyah said, “While handing over the presidency of the Arab summit and subsequently the presidency of the Arab Ministerial Committee on the Situation in Syria, and the Ministerial Committee of the Arab Peace Initiative from the State of Qatar to the State of Kuwait at the 25th Ordinary Arab Summit, we are confident that the presidency will be effective to serve the causes of our Arab peoples and to promote joint Arab action and move it toward broader horizons”.
FM meets dignitaries
HE the Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah met several dignitaries here yesterday on the sidelines of the preparatory Foreign Ministers’ meeting for the 25th Arab Summit.HE al-Attiyah met Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Gebran Bassil, Sudanese counterpart Ali Karti, Kuwait’s First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah and his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra.
During the separate meetings, bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Middle East and North Africa were discussed.
