Arab leaders renew peace offer to Israel

Khartoum: Arab leaders, who met well into the night here yesterday, made a strong call for peace with Israel and a pledge to help an African force in Sudan's troubled region of Darfur with money and soldiers, according to a document obtained by Gulf News.

But the meeting failed to meet an Iraqi demand to open Arab embassies in Baghdad. The meeting will end today despite the early departure of a number of the leaders.

Arab leaders offered to support the African Union peacekeeping mission in the war-torn region. The Khartoum Declaration, to be issued at the end of the summit, said Arab states pledged financial support to the AU force. African Arab countries will also send additional troops to the troubled region, the document said.

It also rejected any plan to deploy international forces without prior consent of the government

The declaration said Arab states "reaffirmed their commitment" to the Arab peace initiative, endorsed at the Beirut summit in 2002, which offers Israel full normalisation of ties in return to its withdrawal from Arab land occupied in 1967.

The summit also stressed "the Palestinian people's right to choose their own government," and urged "the immediate implementation of the roadmap," the peace plan backed by the US and the EU. The declaration also rejected Israel's plan to demarcate its borders unilaterally," it said.

The leaders called for "respect for the integrity and independence of Iraq and its people's democratic will."

Arab leaders yesterday decided to renew Amr Mousa's term as Arab League secretary general for another five years.

Sources told Gulf News that Egypt has thrown its weight behind Mousa, 70, who was the sole candidate. Last minutes talks overcame mainly Gulf states' reservations, the sources said.