(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
CAIRO, Sept 9 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Foreign Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Naser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah on Thursday underlined Arab states' keenness, including Kuwait, to boost joint action.
Speaking to a press conference after chairing ministerial talks between Arab League member states in Cairo, the minister said, when asked about Kuwaiti efforts to mend the rift between Algeria and Morocco, that his country has "great confidence in all the Arab leaderships, and their ongoing endeavour to boost joint Arab action." "Kuwait and other Arab countries will play their role in this field to strengthen Arab reconciliation, solidarity and cohesion," he explained.
The minister recalled the Al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia, which closed the chapter on a feud between Gulf states that lasted over three years, mentioning the emergence of a "new Arab spirit in dialogue and reconciliation, which aims to find common denominators to build upon." The ministerial discussions were characterised by "brotherhood and admiration," he said, but conceded that "it is not healthy for 21 countries to come together and agree on everything." On the top of these discussions was the "primary Arab issue," the Palestinian issue, namely Israel's continuing breaches on the rights of Palestinians in occupied territories, he said, stressing the need to continue shedding light on these violations.
The minister made significant reference to the events in late May, "whether the events of Sheikh Jarrah or what happened in the occupied territories or Gaza, and the Israeli violations for more than 73 years." In regards to the matter, Arab states agreed for there to be "significant participation" at upcoming United Nations General Assembly meetings, he revealed.
Similarly, he underlined the importance of ensuring sustainable support for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in its bid to provide humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees, unaffected by political agenda.
Alongside this, ministers discussed the developments in Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and the Comoros, alongside Iran's occupation of the three Emirati islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa.
Other matters included the security of navigation and the transport of energy supplies in Arab Gulf waters, Iran and Turkey's interventions in the internal affairs of Arab states and establishing a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
The minister also said that the matter of Arab-African cooperation took a "large space" of the discussions throughout several Arab meetings, positively reflecting on the two regions' close proximity in terms of "geography, human-to-human communication, customs, tradition, faith and mannerisms."
At the same press conference, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit said an Arab Troika would convene with members of the United Nations Security Council on September 22 to mull the situation in the region, particularly the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Arab Summit Troika -- the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Algeria -- and the UNSC members will hold their meeting in New York on the sidelines of the coming UN General Assembly meeting, the Arab League chief said in a news conference following the regular Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo today.
Abul-Gheit thanked Tunisia, the Arab member at the UNSC, for arranging the meeting.
On the coming Arab summit, he pointed out that it would be held next March in Algeria.
He noted that the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) is struggling with acute financial crisis, with a budget shortfall estimated at approximately USD 100 million.
Arab countries with a financial ability like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Egypt are remarkably contributing to the UNRWA budget, he argued.
The Arab League chief criticized the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet for opposing any attempts to resume negotiations for a political settlement with Palestinians. (end) mfm.rg.ibi
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