UPDATED ON:
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
16:57 Mecca time, 13:57 GMT
News Middle East
Gaza agreement eludes Arab leaders
Arab leaders have disagreed over how to proceed
with Gaza's reconstruction [AFP]
Arab leaders have failed to agree on a specific mechanism to support
reconstruction in Gaza following Israel's offensive there, despite vowing to
provide Gazans with "all forms of support".
Disagreements over how aid should be chanelled to Palestinians blighted the
Arab ministers' meeting, held on the sidelines of an Arab economic summit in
Kuwait, on Tuesday.
"We have not reached a conclusion because of time constraints and some
positions," Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, told Kuwait Television,
without giving details.
"Under these circumstances, it is supposed that all should make concessions for
the sake of Arab reconciliation ... Efforts are still being made to hammer out
a united position," he said.
Faisal al-Meqdad, the Syrian deputy foreign minister, said: "Realistically
speaking, there are differences among Arab brothers."
Arab leaders have pledged $2bn to help reconstruct the Gaza Strip after a three
week Israeli offensive that devastated the territory's infrastructure, left
1,300 Palestinians dead, and thousands more displaced.
But there have been disagreements over how the aid will find its way into Gaza,
with countries including Saudi Arabia concerned about giving funds directly to
Hamas, which currently administers the Gaza Strip.
Rifts over Israel
"They [the Arab leaders] decided to confine themselves in a general statement
to postpone differences," Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reported from Kuwait.
"Saudis and Egyptians are very sceptical of [giving money to] Hamas for one
reason," he said.
"They think Syria and Iran are using Hamas to destabilise the region and
provide the Iranians for an opportunity to further penetrate the Arab region."
The question of how to respond to the Israeli offensive has divided Arab
nations, with some nations calling for strong action while others prefer a
softer approach.
At the Kuwait summit, Syria and Qatar held Kuwaiti-mediated discussions with
Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an attempt to heal the rift.
While Qatar and Syria favour a firm stance on Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
have said that the conflict has its roots in the alleged interference of Iran.
Shaky ceasefire
At a special meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital, last week Arab countries were
urged to review their ties with Israel and to suspend a 2002 Arab peace
initiative.
But Arab foreign ministers prepared a different set of resolutions for approval
on Tuesday, including a pledge of support for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian
president whose Fatah movement controls only the West Bank.
Arab leaders have also called for a framework to be set up to cement a shaky
ceasefire, called separately by both Israel and Gaza on Sunday.
At least 17 Arab heads of state were attending the two-day economic talks in
Kuwait while senior representatives stood in for the other five member states
of the Arab League.
The summit itself was focused on accelerating economic integration among Arab
states and confront the fallout of the global financial crisis.
The summit's final session was delayed by the disagreement over the Arab
response to Israel.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
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Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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