His Majesty King Abdullah II

His Majesty King Abdullah's Address at the 22nd Arab Summit

March 28, 2010
Sirte, Libya

Following is the unofficial translation of His Majesty King Abdullah’s speech which was distributed to Arab leaders at the 22nd Arab Summit in Sirte, Libya:

This summit convenes at a time when our Arab nation is facing critical challenges that should prompt us to work on forging a united Arab strategy that enables us to overcome these challenges to protect our nation’s interests and strengthen our ability to influence events that have an impact on our different issues.

Therefore, it is extremely important for us to make a serious effort to strengthen and develop the tools for joint Arab action, particularly the Arab League. For the challenges confronting our nation and international indicators require strengthening and activating the role of the league to keep pace with other regional organizations.

It is in this context that we support every effort that seeks to clear the Arab atmosphere, achieve Arab solidarity and overcome all differences that lead to external interference in our affairs… not for the sake of championing our just causes but to achieve ambitions of hegemony and influence. And here I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in particular, for its efforts to achieve comprehensive Arab solidarity… in addition to efforts by the Arab Republic of Egypt to achieve Palestinian reconciliation and unite Palestinian discourse and position under the umbrella of Palestinian legitimacy.

The adoption of the Arab Peace Initiative at the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002 and its endorsement by successive summits reflected the collective Arab commitment to achieve comprehensive and just peace on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with Jerusalem as its capital and within a regional context that restores full Arab rights and ends the occupation of all Arab lands.

The Arabs’ continued commitment to this initiative has helped develop an unprecedented international consensus that the two-state solution is the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and that achieving just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East is a vital interest, not just for the Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis, but for the world. Therefore, the international community must shoulder its responsibilities by exerting pressure on Israel to remove the obstacles it has placed before the peace process and to stop all illegal and illegitimate practices that include continued settlement building in the occupied lands and East Jerusalem in particular and its violation of international and humanitarian law by demolishing the homes of Palestinians and seeking to evict them in order to change the demographic reality and Arab character of East Jerusalem.

Let me warn here against wasting this last opportunity to find a just solution to the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict. We call on the international community and the United States in particular to continue their efforts to find a just solution to this core issue in order to prevent the region and its people from sinking into another cycle of violence and conflict that threatens world security and peace.

Israel must know that it will never have security unless the Palestinians also have their right to security, freedom and state… and it must choose between remaining an isolated fortress or living in peace with its neighbors.

Occupied East Jerusalem is being subjected on a daily basis to Israeli measures that seek to change the demographic structure of the city, to Judaise it, to undermine its Arab identity and threaten its Muslim and Christian holy sites. As we condemn and reject these Israeli measures, we are also doing everything we can to continue our historic role in preserving the Arab identity of Jerusalem and protecting its holy sites until it is liberated from occupation.

I must emphasize here the importance of intensifying our efforts with the international community to lift the unjust siege on our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip who are living under tragic conditions that cannot be tolerated.

We must stand firmly against all attempts of external interference in the affairs of Arab states and attempts to tamper with their security and stability. Therefore, we support all the measures taken by the Republic of Yemen to prevent interference in its internal affairs. We also support its efforts to fight terrorism and to prevent Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations from infiltrating Yemen and threatening its security and stability as well as that of neighboring countries and the world.

We also support measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability and to combat terrorism, and we stand by the Gulf Arab states in confronting anyone who tries to tamper with their security or stability or to interfere in their internal affairs or challenge their total sovereignty over every inch of their land.

We also stand by Lebanon in the face of Israeli threats and provocations that we condemn. We also stand by its government and people against any attempt to undermine Lebanon’s social fabric or threaten the security of the country and its public safety. We also stress our support for Sudan and reject every attempt to threaten its security and stability.

As for Iraq, we emphasize our support for the country and its national reconciliation process that unites all political, religious and ethnic groups under the umbrella of one united Iraqi identity that will lead to solidifying security and stability and preserving the unity and independence of Iraq. I must stress here that what we have done for Iraq is below our expectations… for Iraq needs more than moral support… Iraq needs effective assistance on the ground.

Finally, I must extend my thanks and appreciation to Brother Leader Muammar Qadhafi, Guide of the Great Revolution for the warm welcome and good preparation for this summit which contributed to its success. I would also like to thank His Highness Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani for his great efforts during his presidency of the summit.