Saudi Experts Tout Arab-EU Mideast Peace Group Deal

RIYADH, Feb 17 (KUNA) -- Unquestionably, the agreement recently reached by Saudi Arabia, the European Union (EU) and the Arab League on a tripartite group to revive the Middle East peace process, is of paramount significance, opined Saudi experts.
The agreement came at a critical and delicate time when Israeli Occupation authorities were resolutely carrying on their aggressions on Palestinians, escalating the situation in occupied Palestinian territories and undermining peace efforts, they said in remarks to KUNA.
Saudi Expertise Forumآ's Chairman Dr. Ahmad Al-Shehri said since 1948, the Palestinian cause has always been the prime concern of Saudi Arabia, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the entire Arab world.
All Arab efforts are mainly meant to liberate all occupied Palestinian territories and to establish an independent Palestinian statehood on the pre-1967 border as per the Arab Peace Initiative, which was forwarded by the kingdom in 1981, discussed during the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002 and then adopted by all Arabs and Palestinians, with a view to creating the state with Eastern Jerusalem being its capital and helping Palestinians in diaspora to return home, he said.
The kingdom, throughout history, has raised the Palestinian issue at all international events as the principal and crucial cause of the Arab world and has even sacrificed blood and billions of dollars for supporting the Palestinian people, he added.
Al-Shehri underscored that the kingdom would keep backing the Palestinian cause, in collaboration with Arab countries and international partners at the UN Security Council and the European Union (EU), until a peaceful solution is reached in a way that leads to the regaining of the Palestinian rights amid the insistence of successive governments on dispossessing Palestinians and building more Jewish settlements.
The deal, spearheaded by the Kingdom, EU and the Arab League, is based on forming a tripartite group aiming at coordinating efforts and spurring international partners to demonstrate commitment to the bi-state solution, he elaborated.
For his part, former advisor at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs Salem Al-Yami said the significance of this tripartite agreement stems from the fact that it came at a critical time when all Middle East peace efforts were halted.
It also came at a time when Israel used excessive force and carried out illegal activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the construction of new Jewish settlements, thus escalating the Middle East situation, Al-Yami, also a writer and researcher in international relations, told KUNA.
The initiative, which was direly needed owing to lack of serious and genuine peace moves to revive the regional peace process, would certainly lead to unifying international efforts to give the Palestinians a new hope and find a solution to the Palestinian issue, based on the bi-state approach.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which boasts political and spiritual weight in the region and is renowned for honesty and sincerity for international moves, is interested in coming up with a solution that could lead to easing out the agony of the Palestinian people, he said, speaking highly of the kingdomآ's political behavior.
Echoing the same views, Dr. Muneif bin Malafekh, a Saudi professor of political sciences, voiced hope that the fresh initiative would relaunch Palestinian-Israeli peace talks following a long hiatus due to the dearth of a political perspective targeting a peaceful solution to the long-lasting conflict.
The tripartite agreement would thwart the Israeli governmentآ's bid to legitimize Jewish settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, he said.
The latest initiative, if put in place, would unquestionably bring back stability and security to the Middle East region, commending Saudi Arabia as a weighty party to the agreement, based on its political, economic and religious heritage as well as wise, balanced and responsible policies.
A tripartite Arab-EU meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed on the urgent need to revive the Middle East peace efforts.
This was expressed in a joint press statement released after a meeting convened by EU High Representative Josep Borrell with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Foreign Minister, and Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmad Abul-Gheit in Brussels.
They discussed the Middle East Peace Process, the increasing number of victims of violence, conflict and occupation, and the absence of a political perspective for a peaceful solution.
They condemned the recent decision announced by the Israeli government to legalize under Israeli law nine settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank.
They agreed to explore ways to revive and safeguard the prospect of the two-State solution and to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, freedom, security, recognition, equal rights and prosperity for all peoples affected by the ongoing conflict, according to internationally-recognized parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative.
They agreed to reach out to international and regional partners to this end.
The participants agreed to create a Working Group that will develop proposals to engage with the members of the Arab League, the European Union and relevant international partners to closely coordinate efforts to encourage the parties to demonstrate - through policies and actions - their commitment to a two-state solution. (end) mdm.mt

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