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From davemull@alphalink.com.au Tue Oct 24 21:03:41 2000
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 09:19:25 -0500 (CDT)
Organization: South Movement
From: David Muller <davemull@alphalink.com.au>
Subject: [southnews] Arabsummit:final statement - main points
Article: 107501
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Main points of the Arab summit final statement

AFP, 22 October 2000

CAIRO, Oct 22 (AFP) - Main points of the final statement adopted Sunday at the end of a two-day emergency Arab summit in Cairo on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

BREAKING RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL

In the light of the reverse of the peace process, the Arab leaders stress their commitment to firmly challenge Israeli attempts to infiltrate the Arab world in any form, and from now on to stop opening relations with Israel.

They hold Israel responsible for any steps and decisions made by Arab states regarding relations with Israel, including their cancellation.

INTIFADA

The summit salutes the intifada of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories which has clearly voiced their bitter frustration after waiting long years for a political settlement which has produced no results due to Israel's obstinacy, procrastination and failure to implement its commitments.

The Arab leaders stress their total support for the resistance of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories in the face of Israeli aggression.

The Arab leaders blame Israel for bringing the region back to an atmosphere of tension and violence through its practices and aggressions and its siege of the Palestinian children.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS

In line with a Saudi proposal, the summit has decided on the creation of two funds: the first named 'Al-Aqsa Fund', worth 800 million dollars, will finance projects to preserve the Arab identity of Jerusalem ...

The second, the 200-million-dollar 'Jerusalem Intifada Fund', will assist the families of the martyrs and the education of their children.

The summit thanks Saudi leaders who have decided to contribute a quarter of the amount for the two funds. The summit invites all Arab citizens to donate a quarter of their salary for one day to support the uprising of the Palestinian people ...

The Arab leaders ... decide to open Arab markets to Palestinian goods while exempting them from taxes and duty.

TRIAL OF ISRAELI WAR CRIMINALS

The Arab leaders demand the Security Council to form an international criminal court to try Israeli war criminals who have carried out massacres against the Palestinians and Arabs in the occupied territories, based on the example of the courts set up by the Council to try war criminals in Rwanda and Yugoslavia.

UN PROTECTION OF PALESTINIANS

The Arab leaders demand the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly to take responsibility for guaranteeing the necessary protection of the Palestinian people suffering under Israeli occupation with a view to establishing an international force.

The United Nations remains responsible for the Palestinian territories and their people until they achieve their firm rights in Palestine.

INVESTIGATION INTO RECENT TROUBLES

The Arab leaders demand the establishment of an impartial international committee of investigation within the context of the United Nations, to present a report to the Security Council and the Human Rights Committee on the reasons and responsibility for the dangerous deterioration in the occupied Palestinian territories ...

The summit thanks the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, for his decision to pay the costs of the inquiry into the occupied territories that was decided by the UN human rights commission.

CONDITIONS FOR PEACE

The Arab leaders stress that a comprehensive and just peace will not be achieved without returning Jerusalem to complete Palestinian sovereignty and giving the Palestinian people their legitimate rights, including the right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

They also continued to demand the return of all Arab occupied lands including Israel's complete withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and from the occupied Syrian Golan.

They also demanded a completion of the withdrawal from Lebanon to the internationally recognised borders including the Shebaa Farms and the release of all Arab prisoners in Israeli jails according to United Nations resolutions.

They also demanded the removal of Israeli settlements in implementation of Security Council resolution 465 or 1980.

MULTILATERAL PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

The Arab leaders emphasise that the deadlock on the various bilateral tracks of the peace process has led to a halt of the multilateral track.

They stress that healing matters of regional cooperation can only be achieved by a real progress towards comprehensive and just peace in the region.

They decide not to resume any official or unofficial activities within the multilateral framework and to stop all steps and activities of regional economic cooperation with Israel within this framework.

REGULAR ARAB SUMMITS

The Arab leaders decide to adopt the special mechanism for holding regular Arab summits (each year in March) ...

The kings, presidents and emirs decide that the Arab League Council will meet at the summit level ... in March 2001 in Amman under the presidency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the Arab League.