The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani speaking at the Arab Summit in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: The Arab Summit that concluded a day ahead of schedule yesterday set up at Qatar’s behest a $1bn fund to help save the Arab character of Jerusalem with Doha chipping in a quarter ($250m) of the corpus.
The Emir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, while opening the Summit after taking over its presidency from Iraq, made a call for setting up the above fund and announced Qatar’s contribution of $250m.
The Emir said the fund should be set up immediately after the end of the summit, with fellow Arab leaders responding enthusiastically to his call.
The Emir also called on fellow Arab countries to convene a mini-Arab summit in Egypt and invite Fatah and Hamas leaders and convince them to bury their differences and forge a Palestinian national reconciliation. The call was heeded, too.
Later, a transitional government can be installed in Palestine comprising ‘independent figures’ that would oversee legislative and presidential elections, the Emir suggested at the Arab Summit.
In his opening remarks, the Emir called on the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution for immediate cessation of bloodshed in Syria and book those responsible for crimes against people as per the
international law.
Reiterating that Qatar staunchly supports peaceful transfer of power in Syria, the Emir said the UN can subsequently convene an international conference to launch rebuilding efforts in the violence-ravaged country.
Talking about Jerusalem, the Emir said: “The Palestinian, Arab and Islamic rights in Jerusalem cannot be compromised, and Israel has to be aware of this fact. Also, Arab countries embark on a quick and serious effort in this connection”.
Lamenting that the Sirte resolutions of the Arab summit on Jerusalem have not been implemented, he stressed the immediate need to set up a fund to help save the character of the holy city.
The Emir, talking of the siege of Gaza Strip, called on fellow Arab nations to cooperate and help their brethren in the region to overcome their sufferings and ensure that the decisions taken earlier to reconstruct the Strip are enforced. The Palestinian cause is the core Arab issue and the key to peace, security and stability in the Middle East.
“There cannot be peace without a just, permanent and comprehensive settlement that addresses the full legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among these is the establishment of an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” reiterated the Emir.
“Israel has to realise that force does not bring security, and that peace alone would help achieve security for all, and that its illegal practices of or violation of the sanctity of Al Aqsa Mosque, judaising East Jerusalem, continuing with settlements and detaining Palestinians in its (Israeli) prisons would only create tension in the region,” the Emir said.
In the context of the Arab Spring, the Emir said the regimes must realise that there is no alternative to reform and no room for oppression, repression, tyranny and corruption. “When I say reform, I mean thoughtful reform based on a vision, thought and will, rather than the slogans of reform and hollow promises.”
The Peninsula
