Statments
Final Statement 29th Meeting of Arab Solidarity Committees 27-28 March 2019
Final Statement
29th Meeting of Arab Solidarity Committees
27-28 March 2019
We, the representatives of the Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization Arab Solidarity Committees (Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Bahrain) gathered at the 29th Meeting of Arab Solidarity Committees in Cairo, declare that we are in utmost need for solidarity among our Arab peoples and all the peoples of the world who aspire for peace to prevail in the world, since without peace we cannot proceed with building our sound nation states on the basis of civilization, democracy and social justice, so that our Arab peoples can live a dignified life free from the grave dangers that threaten nation states with destruction. The international and regional situation is deteriorating at an unprecedented pace as the threat of nuclear armament, terrorism and mutual hatred discourses are growing day by day and spreading worldwide.
In recent years, the forces of extreme right in Europe, America and other countries have grown. The rise of this trend reflects the negative consequences of globalization and the failure of their institutions to achieve growth and improve peoples’ conditions.
The meeting devoted a special session to discussing the Sykes-Picot agreement and its historical implications to partitioning the Arab world. The discussions clearly revealed the bitter tragedies that Britain and the colonial countries inflicted upon the peoples of the countries they colonized namely oppression, domination, looting and backwardness. The participants stressed demanding compensation from the government of Britain, the godfather of the Balfour Declaration, to the peoples of the countries that it had colonized as a result of its unjust policies towards them.
The United States has contributed to igniting crises, has failed to contribute to resolving them and created hotbeds of tension in various parts of the world, as evidenced in the Syrian crisis which the Syrian people have been suffering from over the past eight years, and which claimed the lives of nearly half a million Syrian citizens, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure in Syria and the displacement of millions. The international community has not been able to provide them with solutions to alleviate their suffering, despite all humanitarian appeals. Western countries are still blocking and hampering humanitarian aid to the Syrians. The United States is blocking any agreement, which highlights its hidden and undeclared agenda in support of international terrorism.
The situation in Syria is becoming increasingly complicated, especially after the promotion of the discourse of Iran's demonization and the so-called Iranian threat in the region, as well as Trump's statements about placing the Golan under Israeli sovereignty in violation of international legitimacy and of the Security Council’s affirmation that the Golan is occupied Syrian territory.
The policy of dismantling, dividing and destabilizing nation states has been a consistent approach by imperialism since the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration to the present day.
We are still witnessing the tragedy of the people in Yemen, the devastation it caused and the death of tens of thousands of Yemenis, which made the situation in Yemen a humanitarian disaster by any means. The ongoing war in Yemen is a proxy war by all standards. We regret the failure of international mediation by the United Nations to bring about any breakthrough. The most recent of which is the Stockholm agreement on the port of Hodeidah, which did not last long. The crisis in Yemen still needs intensive international and regional efforts and greater activation of the role of the United Nations and its international envoy for a breakthrough in the Yemeni situation.
In Libya, the state of mistrust still prevails among all Libyan parties. All attempts did not produce tangible results in the political state of affairs in Libya. The Libyan agenda is unmasked to all the forces abroad and allegiances are divided, a matter which further complicated the Libyan crisis. Reconciliation needs a national agenda as a prerequisite for Libya's recovery. The Meeting of the Arab Solidarity Committees stresses the need to end the state of rift and division in order to close the ranks of the Libyan political, military and security institutions under a UN-sponsored democratic constitution that guarantees rights and freedoms under the administration of a national government that preserves the unity of the country, takes charge of the tasks of reconstruction and of the removal of the consequences of destruction.
While Israel is waging its aggression on the Palestinian people, the United States has not adopted a stand against these Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians. It has also cancelled its share of the UNRWA budget and closed the Palestinian Embassy in Washington.
The transfer of the American Embassy to Jerusalem and considering it the capital of Israel indicate that there is no intention to work to find a just solution based on the two states principle, on considering East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, solving the refugee problem and safeguarding the right of return in accordance with the United Nations resolutions. This division among Palestinian factions still affects the international momentum in support of the Palestinian people’s cause, a matter which the Palestinians need to end. We call on the party that caused it to listen to the voice of reason and not tamper with the Palestinian national constants.
There are two issues that will inevitably affect future developments in the region. The first issue relates to the growing strength of relations between some Arab countries and Israel, which leads to weakening the Arab hinterland backing the Palestinian people and to a departure from the essence of the Arab initiative calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state before normalization. The second issue relates to the American announcement of the formation of the strategic Middle East alliance or the so-called Arab NATO, comprising the United States and some Arab countries, and designed to take charge of the deal of the century and the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.
The participants stressed the condemnation of the repeated Israeli breaches and violations of Lebanon and condemned the Israeli designs regarding Lebanon’s oil and gas wealth. They stressed the right of the Lebanese to benefit from their national wealth without any pressure or interference. They also stressed the right of the Lebanese to liberate the rest of their lands by all means, including resistance.
Recently, the Sudanese and Algerian states have witnessed mass political movements demanding an improvement of the deteriorating living conditions, and against rampant corruption and high prices. Those legitimate movements reflect mistrust between a vast mass of the people and the ruling authorities which are still struggling not to respond fully and fairly to the demands of the masses. Developments in this manner, may lead to greater complications, and make it necessary to meet the fair demands of the masses.
In Iraq, at the end of 2017, the liberation of the entire Iraqi territory from the grip of the terrorist Daish organization was announced after the country had suffered for more than three years of its brutality and atrocity which led to the displacement of millions and the killing of thousands of Iraqis. Iraq still faces several problems to get rid of the remnants of terrorism and its intellectual consequences, in addition to the heavy burden of reconstruction and the return of the displaced to their cities and their normal lives. The country also has other massive tasks ahead, namely, activating national reconciliation initiatives, facing the scourge of corruption, renouncing narrow regional quotas as well as building a real civil nation state.
The meeting of the Arab committees supports the official and popular efforts to build the state in Iraq according to the criteria of citizenship, justice and equality, in order to strengthen national unity and diversity and consolidate civil peace. The meeting hails reforms and effective measures to address the effects of the era of war on Daish. The meeting also holds in high esteem the policies of Iraq's return to its regional and international milieu based on mutual equitable interests and of respect for its independent national decision making away from policies of regional and international axes and bisections.
As the participants welcome the victory achieved by the Progress and Democratic Nationals list in the last parliamentary elections in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the opening up measures in the field of personal and social freedoms, they call for greater political openness in the whole region and for the people’s participation in the making and implementation of political and economic decision and in participation in issues of war and peace, to help in addressing the great challenges facing the Gulf region and the Arab world.
The meeting also calls for the promotion of unity, peace and stability, the resolution of regional disputes by peaceful means, and the rejection of the policy of security alliances and blocs, to turn the Gulf and the Arab Peninsula into a zone of peace, cooperation and support for just Arab causes, chief among which is the cause of the Palestinian Arab people.
We stress the support of the ongoing democratic transformations in Tunisia and its efforts in combating terrorism, which is trying to destabilize it.
The meeting reaffirms the support of the Arab Solidarity Committees for the peaceful Maghreb Union to find a realistic and agreed upon solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara under the auspices of the United Nations and on the basis of the autonomy initiative in the disputed area.
The meeting hopes that the current political developments in Algeria will be taken into account in the interests of the Arab Maghreb - with its five countries - in promoting their disabled union to be a means of advancing the building of a true nation state in the Arab North African region.
The meeting also hails the role that Egypt has played in aborting conspiracies to undermine nation states in the Arab region countries and its commitment to nation state protection by rejecting foreign interference in its independent national resolutions and its insistence on finding peaceful solutions to all the Arab-Arab problems and crises.
The meeting calls for consensus between the Sudanese parties for Sudan’s stability and to save it from sliding into the anarchy some of the so-called Arab Spring countries have suffered from, and from the negative conflicts that do not serve the present and future of building the real nation state in Sudan.
The participants discussed the importance of enhancing Afro-Arab cooperation, for its mutual benefit and interests and its contribution to the good and development of the peoples of the two regions. It appeals to the African Union and the League of Arab States to implement social development programs, to promote stability, prosperity and unity among the peoples of our region.
The meeting expressed deep grief and sorrow the loss of one of its prominent leaders, the great writer, thinker and politician, Mr. Nabil Zaki, who recently passed away. It is a great loss to both the Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization and the Egyptian Solidarity Committee. May Allah have mercy and blessings on him and rest him in paradise.
Finally, we would like to express deep thanks and gratitude to the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Organization for organizing the 29th Meeting of the Arab Solidarity Committees in Cairo. Long live the struggle of the peoples of Africa and Asia for a better world of peace and justice, a world without wars, conspiracies and terrorism.
Cairo - Arab Republic of Egypt, 27 - 28 March 2019.
