Region | Syria
Level of transparency praised at the close of Summit
The level of transparency at the three-hours closed door meetings by the head of the Arab delegation to the Damascus Summit y held on Sunday was praised by President Bashar Al Assad.
- By Duraid Al Baik, Foreign Editor
- Published: 00:08 March 31, 2008
- Image Credit: EPA
- Kuwait's Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah at the closing session of the summit.
Damascus: The level of transparency at the three-hours closed door meetings by the head of the Arab delegation to the Damascus Summit y held on Sunday was praised by President Bashar Al Assad, who said it that burning issues in the Arab world were discussed clearly and thoroughly, but he did not elaborate about the topics and the results of discussions.
His Foreign Minister, Walid Al Mua'alem, however, later said that Palesitne, Iraq and inter-Arab relations were discussed in the meeting.
When asked if the Lebanese issue was discussed in the closed door meeting, Al Mua'alem said that Lebanon was not represented and the leaders agreed not discuss the issue in its absence.
Amer Mousa, Secretary General of the Arab League said the Lebanese issue was discussed in the ministerial council of the Arab League which was attended by 18 foreign ministers form the Arab world held on March 28, which emphasized on the Arab initiative concerning Lebanon. The decision was later endorsed by the summit.
The final communiqué of the summit, Damascus Declaration, endorsed 23 resolutions and decision concerning different issues in the Arab world ranging from supporting the use of Arab Language in different aspects of life to the conflict between Hamas and Palestinian National Authority.
The summit resolution concerning Iraq was objected by the Iraqi vice president, Adel Abdul Mahdi (please check the spelling), who told the closing session that the Iraqi government register its reservation about the communiqué because it failed to recognize the achievement made by the government in terms of security and national reconciliation.
Al Mua'alem said the reservation of the Iraqi delegation was noted but the communiqué will not be changed.
Damascus declaration established a link between the commitment to the Arab-Israeli peace initiative endorsed by Beirut summit in 2002 and the development of peace process in the Middle East, but set no time table for abandoning the initiative; if Israeli did not respond positively.
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