"A summit should be the perfect setting for reaching regional solutions, but pan-Arab politics have rarely followed such logic and we are left measuring success by attendance rather than achievement." --
Rime Allaf
Saudi Arabia, Egypt Criticize Syria as Arab Summit Opens
Raid Qusti, Arab News
DAMASCUS/RIYADH � As a divided Arab Summit opened in Damascus yesterday, Saudi Arabia accused Syria of blocking Lebanese peace efforts and called on the Arab League to address members that do not honor its resolutions.
At a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said that
previous Arab Summits had taken the lead in solving regional issues.
�We have not found that spirit in this summit. And that is why there has been an absence (of leaders) and a low-level representation,� he said.
Expressing regret that some Lebanese political parties �attacked� the Arab League�s resolution to bring an end to the crisis, Prince Saud called for the organization to take measures against countries that breach resolutions.
�Call it punishment, call it measures, call it whatever you want,� he said. �There must be preventive measures.�
Prince Saud denied that the Kingdom had pressured leaders of other countries from attending the summit.
�These are sovereign states. I do not think that they follow policies of another state,� he said.
Along with Saudi Arabia, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders are also protesting Syria�s stance on Lebanon � a move that has deepened the rift between them and Syria.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was headed to the region over the weekend for talks on the peace process and was expected to meet with some of the boycotting leaders.
The countries accuse Damascus of preventing the election of a new president in Lebanon, where they believe Syria is trying to re-establish its domination.
Assad Denies Accusation
Syrian President Bashar Assad denied interfering in Lebanon in his opening speech to the summit.
�The key to a solution is in the hands of the Lebanese. They have their country, constitution and institutions,� he said.
Lebanon has been the scene of a long power struggle between the anti-Syrian government � backed by the West, Saudi Arabia and Egypt � and the pro-Syrian opposition. The opposition has boycotted Parliament to prevent it from electing a new president since November.
The Arab League compromise called for Lebanese Army chief Michel Suleiman to be elected president, then for a national unity government to be formed. But the opposition has demanded that the makeup of the government first be determined.
�Our hope was that a long-awaited solution to the political crisis threatening Lebanon�s stability would precede this summit,� a message from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to the gathering said. �Unfortunately, this did not occur.�
To add to their snub to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan sent only junior officials to represent them at the summit.
Lebanon did not send any delegation at all, the first country to completely boycott since annual summits began in 2000.
Some countries are also bitter over Syria�s support for Hamas, which they blame for damaging the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. They are also worried about Syria�s close alliance with Iran.
Ten heads of state from the Arab League�s 22 members did not attend the two-day Damascus summit � though most were for separate reasons rather than anger at Syria.
In the absence of US-allied countries, the summit took on a sharp tone against Israel.
In his opening speech to the summit, Assad accused Israel of committing �massacres� against the Palestinians and rejecting peace offers.
He warned that Arab countries might have to seek alternatives to a 2002 Arab peace plan if Israel continues to refuse to accept it.
The proposal offers Israel full peace with Arab nations if it withdraws from Arab lands and allows the creation of a Palestinian state.
�The question is: Do we leave the peace process and initiatives hostage to the whims of successive Israeli governments, or do we search for choices and substitutes that can achieve a just and comprehensive peace?� Assad said.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa proposed that Arab foreign ministers meet in mid-2008 to evaluate the Israeli-Arab peace process. He warned that if they found no progress, they might have to take �painful positions.�
Abbas Blasts Israel
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blasted Israel, saying it was expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank to undermine plans for a viable Palestinian state.
�The parameters and plans of the solution that Israel is drawing on the ground would not leave more than a group of isolated enclaves of land torn apart by settlements and the wall of racial separation,� Abbas said. �It is a solution that reinforces the occupation and the settlement process and which threatens to undermine the possibility of setting up the independent state of Palestine on the Palestinian people�s land, the land of Palestine.�
Abbas condemned Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in recent months that have left scores of civilians dead. �It is no secret that the ongoing Israeli aggression is part of an Israeli policy that aims at dividing the Palestinian territories and people by separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank to prevent the possibility of a peace agreement under the pretext of Palestinian divisions,� he said.
Abbas asked the summit to stand by the Arab peace initiative. �But at the same time, that must be coupled with an international movement by the international community... to make Israel abide by it,� he said.
� With input from agencies
Source: Arab News
Related
Items:
