In the name of the Permanent Secretariat, Mr. Ahmad Hamroush, President of the Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization (AAPSO) has issued the following press statement:
Obama’s Visit to Cairo
Barack Obama, the President of the United States of America, is due to arrive in the Arab Republic of Egypt to deliver a speech at Cairo University addressed to the Islamic world on Thursday, 4th June 2009.
The Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization (AAPSO) considers this step to be an important initiative by the new U.S. administration, aspiring to realize many things for the good of the Islamic and Arab countries and the countries of the Middle East.
We hope that this step turns into a practical situation providing solutions for many of the areas of the tension, instability, bloodshed and aggression in the region. The Arab-Israeli conflict and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories rank first in the burning questions in the region.
The establishment of the independent “State of Palestine” with Jerusalem as its capital, the return of refugees and the removal of the settlements which have been built on Arab land are urgent questions. The UN resolutions are quite clear in this respect, and the Israeli intransigence not to implement these resolutions is also quite evident. Should the American stance endorse the UN resolutions, it could indeed play a positive role in putting an end to the bloodshed in the Middle East.
There is also the situation towards the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, an occupation which violates all the international conventions and norms and which must be ended immediately. We hope that you contribute, with your positive vision, to realizing this goal.
There should also be mentioned the war on Islam under the cloak of “the clash of civilizations”, a pretext which has no place in the reality. However, the former U.S. administration exploited it as a cover to launch its war on the region under the slogan of “the war on terrorism”.
We anticipate that your visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt and your address there help in achieving the real international legitimacy, the peace, the sovereignty of peoples and the human rights in those countries.