President Saleh urges Arab leaders to achieve nation’s interests

SANA’A, May 21 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday called on the Arab leaders to come out with a “joint Arab vision capable of achieving the (Arab) nation’s interests.” “The Arab Summit is held in light of very critical circumstances and big challenges facing the nation which make it a must on the summit to come out with a joint Arab vision capable of achieving the nation’s interests and confronting current problems and challenges,” said President Saleh in a speech. Marking the country’s 14th national day, President Saleh’s speech said that Yemen had “presented a reform initiative of the Arab system to tackle the existing defect of the joint Arab work.” “We took into consideration all ideas and initiatives which were presented by a number of brotherly countries in addition to experiences of the European Union or the African Union and others,” President Saleh said. He called for setting up an Arab union, saying that “the establishment of an Arab States Union represents a national necessity for the reactivation of the joint Arab work and strengthening the nation’s capability to deal with dangers which are circling it.” “With the absence of solidarity, integration and unity, the nation will remain a coveted object,” President said. He added that the Israeli dangerous escalation and state oppression and terrorism against the unarmed Palestinian people represents a defiance to Arab and Islamic nation, the international community’s will and the international legitimacy resolutions. “We in the Republic of Yemen, and within the framework of our vision to resolve the Arab Israeli conflict which was presented to brothers and friends, believe that it is necessary to reactivate the role of the Quartet Committee in order to implement the Roadmap in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions,” he said. President Saleh further called for giving the Arab League membership of the Quartet Committee, and considering the Arab peace initiative as a complementary part of the Roadmap. He also called for quickly dispatching international forces for the protection of the Palestinian people from the Zionist arrogance, oblige the Palestinians and Israelis to announce a truce based on a United Nations resolution in order to insure implementation of the Roadmap and relevant international legitimacy resolutions. He underlined need for the Arab League’s help for the Palestinian people to build up its institutions on a national basis that guarantee participation for all. The Arab League “should also work to unify efforts and attitudes of the Palestinian national work factions to support the Palestinian people’s resistance and boost its national unity, the withdrawal of Israel from the occupied Syrian and Lebanese territories in an implementation of the international legitimacy resolutions, free the Middle-East region from mass destruction weapons and to start with Israel and hold an international peace conference in the region.” Saleh also called the international community to sent international forces to help restore stability and security in Iraq under the supervision of the United Nations and the Arab League. KM/KM