Foreign minister holds press conference

Cairo, May 29 (BNA): The Chairman of the Ministerial Council of the 145th session of the Arab League, Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa affirmed the need to provide support and solidarity to the Palestinian people. At a press conference held jointly with Dr. Nabil Elaraby the Secretary General of the Arab League at the conclusion of the Arab League ministerial meeting in its extraordinary session, Shaikh Khalid welcomed the transfer of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Reconciliation to the capital Tripoli and reiterated support for Yemen’s constitutional legitimacy and President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The meeting was chaired by the Foreign Minister and aimed to discuss the next diplomatic moves regarding the Palestinian issue, the preparation of the draft agenda of the Arab League summit meeting to be held in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott in July, and the developments of the situation in Libya and Yemen. With regard to the next diplomatic moves on the Palestinian issue, the minister noted that the Arab League meeting resolution reaffirmed its previous ones, and called on the international community to compel Israel to abide by international law and the Charter of the United Nations, in addition to supporting French efforts and all Arab and international efforts to expand international participation to solve the Palestinian issue. He reaffirmed the need to support the French initiative, starting with a meeting of the international support Group on June 3, 2016, and accelerate holding the international Conference for peace and the creation of a multilateral mechanism to work on ending the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders; according to the Arab peace initiative of 2002 and international legitimacy resolutions and set a timetable for the negotiations and the implementation of their outcomes within the framework of a new international follow-up mechanism. On the draft agenda of the Arab League summit meeting on its (27th) session to be held in July in Mauritania, the minister noted the Council's decision to approve the draft agenda of the summit in implementation of Resolution No. 8001 issued by the 145th regular session to be held on July 20 -26. Regarding the developments of the situation in Libya, the minister pointed the Arab League’s welcoming of the transferring of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Reconciliation to the capital Tripoli, the Council called on Member States to provide political, moral and material support to the Government of National Reconciliation as the sole legitimate government of Libya. The meeting welcomed the presidential Council 's resolution 12/ 2016 which commissioned ministers and their ministries until the performance of the legal oath ceremony. The Council welcomed the statement issued by the International Ministerial meeting on Libya in Vienna and the outcomes of the 8th meeting of the neighboring countries in Tunisia and called on States not to interfere in the internal affairs of Libya. The meeting stressed on the need to confront terrorism decisively and support the Libyan army in the fight against terrorist organizations, including al Daash, al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia and other designated organizations by the United Nations as terrorist organizations. On the latest developments in Yemen, the minister noted that the council's resolution affirmed the full support of the continuation of the constitutional legitimacy of President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and emphasized the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanism, outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue conference and the UN Security Council resolutions in particular resolution 2216 (2015). The Arab league’s resolution supported the ongoing political consultations being sought in Kuwait under the UN auspices, and expressed deep appreciation for the Amir of Kuwait, the Kuwaiti government and people for the positive atmosphere and efforts for the success of consultations. In addition to emphasizing the terms of reference agreed upon and in the Swiss Biel agenda and the five points presented by the UN envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the general framework and joint committees reached. It reaffirmed that the priority is to withdraw from the different regions, cities and hand over weapons and the evacuation of state institutions before anything else; In addition to condemning the militias delegation acts to sabotage the results agreed upon in the consultations in Kuwait by deliberate procrastination and manipulation. The League’s resolution expressed appreciation for the Arab States coalition led by Saudi Arabia on their efforts to return of security and stability to Yemen.