GCC chief: Arab Summit coincides with extremely dangerous circumstances

BAGHDAD, May 17 (KUNA) -- Jassem Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said on Saturday that today's Arab summit was held amid extremely dangerous circumstances, as the Palestinian people face continuous aggression and systematic ethnic cleansing that threaten their existence, identity and dignity.
"In light of this catastrophic humanitarian scene, there is an urgent need for a unified and firm Arab position that rises to the level of the challenge and expresses the voice of the Arab peoples. The Palestinian cause is a matter of commitment and right, and has become a real test of our capabilities as a nation to defend its historical right that does not lapse with time," Albudaiwi stated, during the summit session today.
He has indicated that the Israeli occupation is executing a systematic policy to uproot a people from their lands, impose a new colonial reality, and challenge the resolutions of the Security Council and other relevant resolutions.
He clarified that the GCC countries have sought peace alongside their Arab brothers, extending their hand toward fair solutions that preserve rights and safeguard Palestinian dignity.
"They have offered initiatives and mediations to establish a lasting and just peace in the region. However, the problem lies in the lack of will on the part of the Israeli occupation to adhere to international law and treaties governing relations between states," he said, expressing his thanks and appreciation to President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, for his commendation during his speech of the great role played by the GCC countries regionally and internationally in supporting the Palestinian cause.
Moreover, he called on the international community to pressure Israel to cease fire in the Gaza Strip, lift the siege and open the crossings unconditionally, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, and continue the work of UNRWA in light of the critical circumstances.
He also stressed the need to deploy international peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories to protect civilians, support the Gaza reconstruction plan as approved at the Cairo Summit, and call for an international conference to implement it.
Albudaiwi rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians or burdening Arab countries, especially Egypt, with any humanitarian or political burdens, calling for support for the international coalition to implement the two-state solution launched by Saudi Arabia in partnership with Norway and the European Union.
He reiterated the GCC countries' firm positions in supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is their right to establish their independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions.
Besides, the GCC Secretary General stated that the Israeli attacks do not stop at the borders of the Palestinian state, but extend to Syrian and Lebanese territories, reiterating in this context the GCC's affirmation that the Golan Heights is Syrian Arab land, and strongly condemns the Israeli occupation's decisions to expand settlement in the occupied Golan, which constitutes a grave violation of the Charter of the United Nations, the principles of international law, and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
"The international community must fulfill its responsibilities to stop the assaults on Syrian territories and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from all occupied Syrian lands and southern Lebanon," he concluded. (pickup previous) ahh.rk