Al-Arabi meets with Asad

The Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi, arrived in Damascus on Wednesday, on the second leg of a tour of Arabic countries, after Riyadh, to discuss the latest developments in the region, and the current Arab situation, before heading to Doha where the Arab Peace Initiative Committee will hold a meeting in the Qatari capital. According to the official Syrian news agency "SANA", Bashar al-Asad received Nabil al-Arabi on Wednesday afternoon, to discuss the current situation in the Arab world, and the changes it had witnessed, stressing the need to unify Arab efforts and to strengthen the work undertaken by the Arab League, in order to resolve the Arab issues - the Palestinian issue in particular. He also stressed the importance of strengthening the Palestinian reconciliation, which took place in Egypt recently. The meeting also saw the discussion of the situation in Libya, and the need to stop the bloodshed there. They talked about how to help the Libyans to build a future for their country away from foreign interference. Asad also presented the reforms that had been carried out by Syria, and presented plans to overcome the circumstances surrounding the path towards building a modern democracy. The Arab League delegate refused to join in with attempts made by other countries to interfere in Syrian affairs, confirming the League’s support for internal reforms in Syria. He also expressed hope that Syria is stronger than it was, especially in light of the pivotal role it plays in the region. In the presence of Dr. Faisal al-Maqdad, the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Syrian Vice-President Farouk al-Shara and Al-Arabi discussed Arab and international affairs, and the importance of the role of the Arab League in defending the rights of the Arab nations and their fundamental issues, especially the Palestinian cause, and the liberation of the occupied Arab territories. Al-Arabi said in a press statement that he spoke to Assad about the winds of change that had engulfed some Arab countries, and the current process of reforms underway. He expressed his pleasure to President Bashar al -Asad that Syria has entered into a new phase, stressing the importance of the fact that Syria is now on the way to real reform. Al-Arabi added, "We spoke to Asad about the situation in the region and in various other states. We also discussed the Palestinian issue and the real desire now to change the course of the attempts to resolve this issue.” He stated that the issue must be concluded, and that Israel must withdraw from all occupied Arab territories, pointing out that he was of course referring to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Al-Arabi tackled the criticism that the Arab League has received, claiming that the Arab League is searching for a role to play in light of the changes that have taken hold of the Middle East. He stated: “This subject needs to be studied” and adding: “I hope that Arab countries will forget about any differences or sensitive issues from the past, and that they will look to the common interest of the Arab nation, and work towards this cause." Al-Arabi confirmed on the other hand: "The League does not accept any foreign interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries, and it does not interfere in internal affairs." He stated that the interference in internal affairs is forbidden in all states under the Charter of the United Nations. Al-Arabi considers that what happened in Libya is not what the League had visualized, as they moved to impose a flight ban in Libya on the 11th March this year. He stated that the Arab League did not give permission for this, and did not have the right to give permission. He also made reference to regional stability, saying that it was of great importance to the stability of Syria. The Secretary-General of the Arab League stated: "The Secretariat is committed to the Charter of the United Nations, and does not accept interference into the internal affairs of any country. Syrian stability, Egyptian stability, and Yemeni stability are all required for the stability of all Arab countries. The stability of Syria is of great importance to the stability of each Arab state." Al-Arabi said that if anyone put pressure on the Arab League to take issue with Syria: "It does not have the right to judge if the head of state has lost legitimacy. That is decided by the Arab people, and the Arab League will not be pressurized by anyone." When asked if there was an initiative by the Arab League to strengthen Arab solidarity, he said that this was required. It is noteworthy that after Al-Arabi's visit with the Arab League delegation he will head to Doha to assist Ambassador Mohammad Sabih with the Palestinian issue, and the issue of the occupied Arab territories, participating in the ministerial meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee. Al-Arabi will then head to Istanbul to attend a meeting of the International Communications Group in Libya to discuss political solutions to the current crisis there.