Arab summit calls on Assad to commit to Annan's plan

Arab League Summit in Baghdad  calls al-Assad to commit to Annan's plan Arab leaders on Thursday ended the Arab League (AL) summit in Baghdad after approving the final statement and a document entitled the Baghdad declaration, which calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to commit to UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s plan.
In a joint press conference, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi and Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that the closing session of Baghdad summit ended with the approval of the final statement of the meet and the Baghdad declaration.
Both the final statement and the declaration were not announced live, as they were distributed following the session.
It  included a call from Arab leaders for the Syrian government to "immediately stop violence, murder, and to protect civilians and to ensure the freedom of peaceful protests."
They also called on the Syrian forces to "withdraw from cities and villages, to safeguard Syria's stability and reject any military intervention.
The leaders fully backed the mission of the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
"The Arab leaders condemned human rights violations and considered the massacre of Baba Amr (in Homs, central Syria) by Syrian security forces a crime against humanity that entails bringing the Syrian officials to justice."
They called on the Syrian opposition to close ranks and prepare to start serious dialogue that would lead to democracy, the statement said.
As for Palestine, the Arab leaders said "fair and comprehensive peace in the region would not be achieved without full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied Palestinian and other Arab lands to the borders established on June 4, 1967."
They also supported the United Nations bid to recognise the state of Palestine according to 1967 borders, and to recognise East Jerusalem as the capital of the new state that would enjoy full membership in the UN.
"Leaders have renewed their stance to condemn all kinds of terrorism and to eradicate its ideological and monitory resources," said the statement.
However, they stressed on distinguishing between terrorism and legal resistance against occupation.
Delegates also said they were keen to free the Middle East of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
The Baghdad declaration was prepared by the Iraqi government and approved by the Arab leaders. It included the adoption of a comprehensive vision for political, economic and social reform to maintain the dignity of the Arab citizen and promote their civil rights.
They said they were behind the "legitimate demands of the Syrian people for freedom and democracy and their right to choose their own future through a peaceful transfer of power".
The delegates called for talks between the Syrian government and the opposition based on Annan's six-point peace plan, "which should be implemented fully and immediately".
Many top Arab leaders stayed away from the conference that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hoped would be a milestone in his government's effort to restore Iraq's stature as a regional leader.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in an opening speech that the summit in Baghdad is “crystal clear evidence that Iraq has restored its strength and stability."
Saudi Arabia and Qatar sent their Arab League ambassadors. Egypt's delegation was headed by its foreign minister Mohamed Amr. Jordan, which relies heavily on trade and cheap oil from Iraq, sent its prime minister after King Abdullah decided not to attend the summit. Algeria dispatched the speaker of its parliament.
Kuwait was the only Gulf country represented by its head of state.
Even Yemen's new president Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi decided not to attend, instead sending his foreign minister.
There were no Arab monarchs present at the summit either.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and genocide in Darfur, was the first Arab leader who said he was attending Thursday’s meeting.