Arab League urges boosting Arab-European cooperation

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit on Wednesday called for boosting Arab-European cooperation in the face of current challenges.

The call came in his speech at the inaugural session of the fifth meeting of the Arab-European Political and Security Committee that was read out by his aide Ambassador Ahmed bin Hilly.

The AL chief asserted that the Arab-European dialogue that is held for decades now, has not achieved the outcome that would meet the hoped-for aspirations in light of the current challenges although some tangible results were realized.

He called for conducting an assessment of joint cooperation that has been achieved by that dialogue. Abul Gheit said positive achievements on this score included an exchange of views about political and security issues for enhancing overall cooperation between both sides.

He expressed hope that the fourth meeting of the Arab foreign ministers with their European counterparts on December 20 would lead to promoting joint cooperation and building real partnership to the best interest of both sides.

Today's meeting is being held at a time the region is facing challenges and crises that require strengthening the mechanisms of consultation and cooperation for hammering out peaceful solutions that are based on international law and the United Nations resolutions, he added.

As for the Palestinian issue, he criticized failure on part of the international community to remove injustices against the Palestinian people due to the provocative Israeli practices which are aimed at undermining the two-state solution and maintaining settlement building in a flagrant defiance to international legitimacy and the international community at large, added Abul Gheit.

He further called for intensifying efforts to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people to set up their independent State with Al Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) as its capital.

Touching on the Syrian crisis, the AL chief urged the European Union to shoulder its respon

He warned of the consequences of this crisis as the severest humanitarian catastrophe since Wsibility to stop the bloodshed in Syria. He asserted that the only viable solution to the Syrian crisis should be political.WII as regards the problem of refugees and displaced.

Abul Gheit also took up the catastrophic situation in Libya, calling for pooling all efforts together for reaching a political solution to this crisis and helping Libya establish security and stability.

As for Yemen, the AL chief underlined the Arab organization's support for a political settlement in Yemen affirming that any settlement should be based on the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanisms along with the United Nations Security Council resolution 2216.

Regarding Iraq, Abul Gheit renewed the AL support for Iraqi efforts for fighting Daesh terrorist group. He denounced on this score the Turkish forces' incursion into Iraqi northern territories. He called for respecting the good neighborliness between the two countries.

Source: MENA