Arab economic summit centers on Gaza, calls for Arab unity

Source: Xinhua | 01-20-2009 07:59

by Lin Liping, Zhu Lei

KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The first Arab economic summit convened in the Kuwaiti capital here Monday, centering on the situation in the Gaza Strip and calling for unity in the Arab world to resolve the Gaza crisis.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (2nd L, front), King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (3rd L, front) and Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (4th L, front) attend the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Jan. 19, 2009. Arab heads of state  gathered here on Monday for the first Arab economic summit, which is set to tackle the Gaza situation in addition to the impact of global financial crisis, infrastructure and social issues in the Arab world. (Xinhua/KUNA)

The high-level economic meeting was attended by 17 heads of state of the 22-member Arab League (AL), together with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, with a slogan of "In Solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza."

GAZA -- DOMINANT TOPIC

Addressing the opening session of the summit broadcast live, host Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah condemned the past 22-day-long Israeli "invasion" of Gaza as "crimes against humanity and war crimes."

He applauded the resistance of the Palestinian people to defend their humanitarian dignity, withholding their natural right to establish an independent state.

The Arab world supports the Palestinian brothers in their resistance against the Israeli "aggression," Sheikh Sabah pledged, calling for an immediate and unconditional implementation of UN Resolution 1860 to pave the way for a full and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and lift the siege on Gaza.

The emir announced that Kuwait will donate 34 million U.S. dollars to enable the UN Relief and Works Agency to supply the urgent needs of the Palestinian people.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also spoke at the meeting, saying the unilateral ceasefire announced by Israel did not mean the end of violence, adding as long as the Israeli troops remain in Gaza, there would be no end of violence.