Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Assad’s call to severe ties with Israel
A divided Arab world and the United Nations continued their uncoordinated search for a ceasefire as Israeli Foreign Minister headed to Washington for consultations on ways to manage the spiralling Gaza crisis.
The divisions in Arab ranks widened on Friday as the Gaza situation was discussed in two separate forums in Kuwait where an Arab foreign ministerial meeting was held and in Qatar where several heads of state were present. The “radical” group, including Hamas and its partners Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) met in Qatar’s capital Doha, along with Presidents of Syria, Iran and representatives from Turkey.
Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, admitted on Friday in Kuwait that the Arab world was “in a very big chaos”.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal urged Arab countries to sever all ties — direct and indirect — with Israel.
Egypt and Jordan have normalised their ties with Israel, while some other Arab countries have trade relations with it.
“Syria has decided that indirect peace negotiations with Israel will be halted,” Mr. Assad observed. Al Jazeera television has reported that Qatar and Mauritania have snapped ties with Israel .
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went a step ahead by calling upon all Muslim nations to cut their ties with Israel, as well as the United States.
Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal declared on Friday that the Palestinian resistance would not accept Israel’s terms for a Gaza truce. “Our demands are: That the aggression stops, that the enemy retreats completely from Gaza, that the blockade is lifted permanently, and that the border crossing at Rafah is opened,” he stressed.
Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara Israel should be denied UN membership on account of its actions in Gaza. “Israel does not care about UN resolutions. Then I ask: How a country that does not care about UN resolutions can enter its buildings? How can you say United Nation Security Council’s decisions are indisputable, and then close your eyes to this massacre?”
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni left for Washington to hold talks with American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, apparently to discuss a possible American role to stop weapon smuggling into Gaza.
The divisions in Arab ranks widened on Friday as the Gaza situation was discussed in two separate forums in Kuwait where an Arab foreign ministerial meeting was held and in Qatar where several heads of state were present. The “radical” group, including Hamas and its partners Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) met in Qatar’s capital Doha, along with Presidents of Syria, Iran and representatives from Turkey.
Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, admitted on Friday in Kuwait that the Arab world was “in a very big chaos”.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal urged Arab countries to sever all ties — direct and indirect — with Israel.
Egypt and Jordan have normalised their ties with Israel, while some other Arab countries have trade relations with it.
“Syria has decided that indirect peace negotiations with Israel will be halted,” Mr. Assad observed. Al Jazeera television has reported that Qatar and Mauritania have snapped ties with Israel .
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went a step ahead by calling upon all Muslim nations to cut their ties with Israel, as well as the United States.
Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal declared on Friday that the Palestinian resistance would not accept Israel’s terms for a Gaza truce. “Our demands are: That the aggression stops, that the enemy retreats completely from Gaza, that the blockade is lifted permanently, and that the border crossing at Rafah is opened,” he stressed.
Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara Israel should be denied UN membership on account of its actions in Gaza. “Israel does not care about UN resolutions. Then I ask: How a country that does not care about UN resolutions can enter its buildings? How can you say United Nation Security Council’s decisions are indisputable, and then close your eyes to this massacre?”
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni left for Washington to hold talks with American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, apparently to discuss a possible American role to stop weapon smuggling into Gaza.
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