CAIRO: The Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo Thursday rejected making any amendments to the Arab peace initiative, as had been mooted prior to the discussions.
Advocated as a “combined approach to the peace process with Israel, the new initiative was rejected by some Arab countries because it would mean dropping the call for the right of return of Palestinian refugees exiled after the annexation of their lands.
“There is no way that Israel’s commitments will be reduced whilst imposing new commitments on the Arabs. The Arab Initiative is based on the idea of mutual commitments and this is an approach from which the Arabs will not deviate, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Jordan’s King Abdullah had said at a news conference in Berlin prior to the Thursday meeting that a new approach to the peace process may be introduced, indicating that a “combined approach involving Syria and Lebanon alongside the Israelis and Palestinians would be discussed.
“What we are discussing today is a combined approach of bringing together Arabs, Europeans and the United States as a team to create the circumstances over the next several months that allow Israelis and Palestinians to sit at the table, but also with Lebanese, Syrians and Arab nations, he said.
“So it is a packaged effort that we are going to work on, Abdullah added, “and I would imagine that the plan will be more articulated by the president of the United States after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to Washington [May 18].
But Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Joudah told reporters Thursday that “the ministers renewed their commitment to the initiative as it is without change.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallim said, “I don’t see any justification for amending this initiative. Is it logical that with every new Israeli government the Arabs would concede and put forth a new plan and new concessions under the slogan of a comprehensive plan?
During the meeting, Arab ministers also decided to seek a ruling by the International Court of Justice regarding Israeli violations in East Jerusalem.
Arabs will seek “to obtain a decision from the United Nations General Assembly to task the International Court of Justice to examine Israeli violations in Jerusalem, a League statement read.
