Bahrain attends Arab League meeting

Cairo, Feb.2 (BNA): The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Regional and GCC Affairs, Ambassador Waheed Mubarak Sayyar, participated in the Arab League Ministerial Meeting in continuation of the activities of the Extraordinary Session, held on 9 December 2017 regarding US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transfer of its embassy to it. During the meeting, the undersecretary stressed that the international community's rejection of the American administration's recognition of the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel proves anew that the Palestinian cause is globally regarded as a just cause. He added that this was clear in the resolution, recently adopted by the UN General Assembly with a majority of 128 votes which called on the United States to withdraw its recognition and stressed at the same time a unanimous conviction that there is no legal effect of any unilateral decision or action that aim to change the character, status or demographic structure of Jerusalem. We must invest in this supportive international atmosphere for the Palestinian rights and for our clear Arab position and intensify our efforts and continue our contacts with the international community to achieve our goal of halting all unilateral steps aimed at imposing a de facto policy on the ground, he said. “We will focus in particular on halting the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stop Israeli settlement construction, confiscation of land and attempts to empty it of its Muslim and Christian Arab population in a flagrant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.” Ambassador Sayyar reiterated the firm position of the Kingdom of Bahrain in support of the Palestinian cause and all the efforts aiming to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region in addition to recognizing East Jerusalem as part of the territories occupied in 1967 and one of the final status issues that will only be resolved through negotiations between the two Palestinian and Israeli sides in accordance with the relevant international laws and the two-state solution. He called for halting all unilateral steps aimed at imposing a new reality or changing the status of Jerusalem, considering similar steps as null and void under international law itself and only leading to further tension and minimization of the chances of peace and the achievement of security and stability in the region. The meeting resulted in a resolution calling for Arab action to counter the US administration's decision and welcoming the decision of the UN General Assembly in its 10th special emergency session under the slogan of “Unity for Peace”, issued on December 21, 2017, reaffirming rejection of any resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupying forces, and the transfer of diplomatic missions to it. It also affirmed support for the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council of January 15, 2018 in response to the recognition of the US administration of Jerusalem as the capital of the occupying state, and to work with international actors to establish a multilateral mechanism under the auspices of the United Nations. This in order to adopt the peace process, the State of Palestine’s efforts to gain full membership in the United Nations and join international organizations and conventions in order to strengthen its legal and international status. The resolution stressed the need to boycott the Israeli occupation and its colonial regime as one of the effective and legitimate means to resist to and end the occupation and save the two-state solution and the peace process. This is addition to calling on the Palestinian factions and forces to expedite the completion of national reconciliation in accordance with the Cairo agreement signed in May 2011, . The resolution also rejected and condemned the attempts to end the role and mandate of UNRWA through antagonist Israeli campaigns and reduction of its funding by the US administration, entrusting the Secretary-General, Arab Ambassadors and Arab groups in international organizations to follow up the implementation of the resolution with all parties. The Undersecretary for Regional and GCC Affairs also participated in the meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee which took place prior to the ministerial meeting and reviewed the decisions of the Mini Ministerial Committee, held in Jordan on 6 January 2018 and its contacts with various regional and international parties to shed light on the Arab stand, taken during the Arab League Council Meeting on 9 December 2017.