PRESIDENT ASSAD/ BEIRUT SUMMIT SPEECH (March 27, 2002)
BEIRUT His Excellency President Bashar Assad has suggested for the Arab Summit,
convened here Wednesday, the setting up of a "committee from the countries
concerned with the peace process in addition to the Saudi Arabia and the Arab
League Secretary General, as to explain the Initiative of Emir Abdullah, once
adopted by the Summit or by the UN Security Council members" to the EU
Presidency and to the United Nations.
His Excellency also suggested continued support for the Intifada '' financially'
as well as ' morally'' and the issuance of a stamp by all Arab countries, which
revenues are to be channeled to the Intifada. President Assad also called for
severing Arab countries relations with Israel till the realization of just and
comprehensive peace, which is linked to the full Israeli withdrawal from all
1967 occupied Arab territories.
In his address to the opening session of the Summit, President Assad suggested
providing support to the resistance against any occupation, and to the Lebanese
Resistance till the liberation of all the Lebanese territories. "Arabs, once
more, reiterate their commitment to just and comprehensive peace; henceforth
comes the initiative of Emir Abdullah, which in no way deviates from the
national basics," President Assad said. The basics, the President outlined, are
'' the full withdrawal from the occupied territories of 1967, the Palestinian
State with east Jerusalem as its capital, the right of return" asserting that
the initiative asserts " Arabs' desire for peace'' and exposes the ''
Israelis who don't desire peace''. "The principle of the peace process is the
land for peace. The land is an integrated one factor, either to be restored in
full or to remain till it is to be fully restored. The second factor for Peace
also consists of its components including, for example, the issue of water,
relations, security arrangements including the disarmament of Mass destruction
weapons and nuclear weapons which Israel possesses," noted the President.
"The said second factor for peace would never be there without the first one,
that is of the land, which is never subject for negotiations,'' added the
President. Considering the past ten years of the Israeli maneuvers in peace
talks, President Assad called for '' clear guarantees' regarding the full return
of the land to the line of 1967'' through "an official Israeli written document"
or at least "through an Israeli announcement before the whole world that it
would in full withdraw from the land." Considering the failure of Mideast peace
sponsors during the last ten years, President Assad noted that a sponsor has to
be like a '' judge'', entrusted with a certain law recognized by the world,
calling for a clear approach as to sponsor the process of peace and for a
Euro-US dialogue and even with the UN citing that '' Israel was rewarded, though
it stands against peace, while Arabs were punished and pressured and accused,
though they stand with the peace process,''
"The peace process is in need for a peace plan and not for words, for content
not for form," the President added calling for action as to salvage the
Palestinians from '' massacres'' and from '' the new holocaust'' calling on Arab
countries, which have relations with Israel, to break them off before it is too
late. "The only reference for the peace process is that of Madrid and the
resolutions it is based upon." the President stressed asserting that there is no
need whatsoever for another conference; hence the basics are the same and would
never be changed. His Excellency affirmed that peace brings security calling for
supporting the Intifada as much as we ''are keen on peace'' hence the Intifada
is but '' a movement for independence'', which is "the right for every people to
get independence in live in their country." On the issue of terrorism, President
Assad renewed condemnation of terrorism saying that all Arab countries condemned
what happened on September 11, out of many motivations " the moral one, we as
Arabs, with all our religions, reject terrorism'', secondly for '' human
motivations, '' we are the largest people in the world who can feel what it
means when a certain people are exposed to terrorism, '' We have been exposed to
terrorism with the form presented now, and to the Israeli form of terrorism, ''
and to terrorism through its meaning of occupation, oppression and killing
throughout history. "Arabs have always been against terrorism, and are the first
to combat terrorism,'' said the President citing Syria's 1985 call for an
international conference to be convened as to combat terrorism when others ''
opened financial transactions'' and '' media facilities'' and outlets for the
terrorists. Considering others' rejection to define terrorism and the wrong
expressions not to mention the confusion and fears spreading in the aftermath of
Sept.11 terrorist attacks against the US, His Excellency said '' The difference
between terrorism and resistance is clear and simple like the difference between
the owner of the right and the one who usurped this right'' asserting that the
deportation of others and the cleansing of people were definitely terrorism. The
President asserted that the resistance is the legitimate right against
occupation pointing out that in Israel all are armed where the settlements are
even built as military fortifications and bases, '' For us, terrorism comes from
Israel; we see, whatever presentation for terrorism in the world, through this
terrorism. Any discussion of terrorism in the Middle East without Israel being
the axis and the essence, is not objective and deformed,'' President Assad noted
and brushed aside all bids to impose confused expressions and deformed coinages
on the region, which understands its causes more than others do.
The President voiced the hope that the Summit would contribute along with the
wise in the world to restore some balance and order to the world through cling
to the national basics, and through unity of stance and word. On the
Iraqi-Kuwaiti case, President Assad hailed the encouraging news coming in recent
months and pledged every support as to sort differences out calling on Arabs not
only to demand from Iraq to implement so and so but '' to cooperate with Iraq as
to reach a clear vision regarding how to return Iraq to its normal position"
M. Abdo Al Ibrahim
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