The 22nd Arab Summit began Saturday with calls to come up with "deeds not words" in the face of unilateral Israeli measures in Jerusalem and to explore alternatives in case the peace process with Israel fails.Condemning Israel's unilateral and provocative measures and its attempts to Judaise occupied East Jerusalem, Arab leaders at the summit urged each other to overcome their differences and make a concerted effort to address issues of concern to the Arab nation.
Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, who inaugurated the summit in his hometown of Sirte, urged the Arab leaders to devise concrete actions during the summit, at which eight heads of state were absent, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon and Oman.
"The Arabs wait for actions from this summit. They have had enough of talk and speeches," Qadhafi said at the summit, the first he hosts.
"We should try to endorse what the public in the Arab street expect from us, because if we endorse something that is not satisfactory to them, then it is doomed to failure," the Libyan leader told the gathering at the Complex of Ouagadougou Halls in Sirte, adding that the Arab states are in an undesirable situation and face unprecedented challenges.
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani, whose country hosted last year's summit, also urged action to save Jerusalem, emphasising that condemnations are insufficient.
“There is a genuine crisis in joint Arab action that needs to be addressed. There is no use in taking decisions or adopting resolutions and recommendations in light of a deeply-entrenched crisis that hampers action… is condemnation enough for Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque? Are we and our nations convinced that all we can do is to condemn?” Sheikh Hamad asked.
At the conclusion of the two-day summit, the Arab leaders are expected to adopt a plan to salvage Jerusalem, entailing financial and political support to protect the holy city and its Islamic and Christian holy sites from continued Israeli violations.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa urged the leaders at the summit to study all possibilities in case the stalled, decades-long peace process with the Israelis fails.
“Israel has no place among us as long as it is a state outside the law that contradicts peace, does not want a Palestinian state and does not want to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories and Jerusalem,” Musa said.
The chief of the 22-member league, who said he does not plan on running for reelection as secretary general, emhphasised the significance of setting a time frame for proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
“It is not correct to accept an open-ended peace process that is like a charade, meant to entertain people, waste their time and deceive them,” Musa said, stressing that such an endless process will give Israel time to change realities on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Stressing that the international community supports the Arabs in condemning and rejecting the unilateral Israeli measures, Musa said Israel’s “foolish” policies undermine peace efforts.
The Arab League chief also proposed the creation of a regional league that comprises, in addition to the Arab states, neighbouring countries, excluding Israel.
The league would include Turkey and later expand to cover Iran, said Musa. In his address to the summit, he stressed the need to open dialogue with Iran, with which he said the Arabs have differences but also mutual interests and ties.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended the gathering despite the presence of Sudanese President Omar Bashir, who faces an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ban, too, voiced “frustration” with the unilateral Israeli measures in Jerusalem, urging Arabs to support proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in efforts to restart stalled peace negotiations.
“I feel the same frustration as you do about recent unilateral actions. I was deeply dismayed by the Israeli announcement to advance planning to build housing units in East Jerusalem,” the UN chief told reporters at a press conference after the summit’s inauguration.
“As I made clear to the follow-up committee, I have spoken out and have been diplomatically active whenever other provocations have taken place - including the decision on holy sites in Hebron and Bethlehem, actions in places like Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah, and tensions surrounding Al Aqsa Mosque,” he added.
Ban stressed that all unilateral Israeli measures undermine peace efforts.
The UN chief, who said the international agency has been pushing hard to end the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, said: “I will continue to do all I can to lift restrictions there.”
He said the UN will continue to press ahead with implementing the humanitarian projects announced during his visit to the coastal enclave last week, including the creation of 151 housing units in Khan Younis.
Despite mounting frustrations, Ban urged the Arab leaders to support proximity talks between the Palestinians and Israelis, which were given a 120-day time frame as of the start of March.
“My point to the Arab leaders is that, whatever our concerns, there is no alternative to negotiations on a two-state solution. Without that, we risk sliding into despair and the potential for more violence of the kind we have witnessed recently,” he said at the press conference.
The UN chief lauded the Arabs’ renewed commitment to peace as represented by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
“We need peace in the wider region as well - including the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and the full implementation of Resolution 1701,” he added, referring to the 2006 UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese Islamist movement Hizbollah.
Ban also called for “restraint” in light of Friday’s clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in Gaza, which according to several media outlets led to the deaths of two Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh on Friday reiterated that the Arabs will continue to support the Palestinians’ right to establish their own country, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
In press statements on Friday, Judeh said the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, held Thursday in preparation for the summit, focused on the dangerous developments in Jerusalem and the current impasse in the peace process.
