Jordan Times
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Arab parliamentarians
call on member states to ratify anti-terrorism agreement
King Abdullah voiced hope that the conference would strengthen Arab solidarity
and institutionalise democracy and public participation in political life
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
THE DEAD SEA — The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) political committee on
Monday called on member states of the Arab League to ratify the 1998 Arab
anti-terrorism agreement and consolidate efforts to uproot terrorism.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the biannual AIPU conference being held at
the Dead Sea, the committee noted that only eight members of the Arab League
have so far ratified the agreement.
On April 22, 1998, officials from 22 Arab countries signed for the first time an
accord to fight terrorism and extremism.
The agreement calls on Arab countries to deny refuge, training and financial or
military support to groups that launch attacks on other Arab nations.
The signatories also promised to exchange information on terrorist groups.
But so far only Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Algeria, Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, Sudan and the Palestinian Authority have ratified the agreement.
The committee yesterday also urged Arab parliamentarians to lobby the
international community to hold an international conference on terrorism under
the auspices of the United Nations.
The committee stressed the importance of coming up with a clear definition of
terrorism.
“We must differentiate between terrorism and the right to legitimate
resistance,” said the committee.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the right to fight occupying forces in Iraq
stand at the heart of the dispute when it comes to defining terrorism.
While the Arab and Islamic worlds support the Palestinian resistance against the
Israeli occupation, the US and its allies label most of the Palestinian factions
as terrorist organisations.
Speaking on behalf of Jordan's delegation, Senator Taher Masri told Arab
parliamentarians to stand united against “blind terrorism,” pointing out that
Jordan had recently suffered as a victim of such “despicable acts.”
Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali
inaugurated the 12th AIPU conference on Monday with a call for Arab unity.
During the two-day conference, Arab lawmakers will focus on the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Iraqi situation and the global war on terror.
Also yesterday, Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Salim Zanoun offered an
olive branch to Kuwait in order to put an end to 16 years of severed relations.
Zanoun said he was ready to visit Kuwait and apologise to the Kuwaiti people for
the Palestinian leadership's support for the Iraqi invasion in 1990.
“I am ready to visit Kuwait and offer my apology if that would bring relations
between the two sides back to normal and consolidate Arab unity,” he said.
Kuwaiti delegates at the AIPU said they were “surprised” by Zanoun's comments.
The Kuwait delegation is expected to issue an official statement on the proposal
today.
As a result of the PLO's support for Iraq's invasion, over 300,000 Palestinian
expatriates were kicked out of Kuwait after the American- led liberation in
1991, and Kuwait cut off all aid to the PLO.
King receives Arab parliamentarians
King Abdullah held a lunch banquet for heads of the Arab delegations on Monday,
where he voiced hope that the conference would strengthen Arab solidarity and
institutionalise democracy and public participation in political life.
The King also received Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa to discuss issues
on the agenda of the upcoming Arab summit, to be held in the Sudanese capital
Khartoum in late March.
The King said the summit comes at a time when the Arab nation is facing
exceptional and critical challenges.
He urged Arab countries to support the ongoing political process in Iraq to help
the country preserve its security and national unity.