Al-Tajammu [Archives:2005/827/Press Review]
21 Mar. 2005
Main headlines
– Algiers Arab summit ealistic Jordanian peace initiative with Israel
– Directives for practicing attacks on al-Khaiwani in prison
– Authority accuses the JMP of standing behind demonstrations, JMP responds strongly to the authority calling it to stop holding others the responsibility for its failure
– Explosion rocks Doha
– Draft law on regulating weapons carrying before the parliament
– Islah denies its connection with recent demonstrations
The newspaper editorial discusses the holding of the Arab summit conference in Algiers saying the convening of the summit this year coincides with serious events experienced by Arab countries and also coincides with external pressures the states are exposed to, demanding them for reforms thought to become necessary.
A Jordanian initiative presented to the summit aimed at entering amendment to the Arab peace initiative that had been approved by Beirut summit in 2002. Argument has increased between supporters for the initiative that is being described a support for the Beirut initiative and aims at activating and marketing it internationally. News then reported that the foreign ministers of Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan and Lebanon had entrusted the Palestinian foreign minister to redraft the Jordanian paper to attain a conciliatory solution that satisfies the two sides.
On the other hand, the Lebanese crisis would surely capture attention of the summit although it has not been enlisted on the agenda officially. The other heated file awaiting the summit is the situation of Iraq, which is heading for forming a new government in implementation of the legislative elections, which took place there at the end of last January.
The file that is expected to have greatest attention is that of evaluating the reforms that the Arab countries have pledged to conduct at the summit of Tunis in 2004. In this context, the Algerian foreign minister has affirmed that there has been an agreement reached for establishment of an Arab parliament in Damascus and formation of a body following up implementation of the resolutions as well as amendment of the article seven of the Arab League charter related to mechanism of taking decisions.
In a statement to the 26 September weekly newspaper, Yemen's foreign minister said there were two viewpoints regarding the peaceful march in the Middle East. One side thinks that there is a degree of optimism and thinks the matters are moving though slowly and the other side thinks that what is going on now is the realization of more gains for Israel. The minister thinks that there is an advance achieved by the Palestinians represented by commitments of the American administration and there is an international pressure towards the establishment of the Palestinian state.
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[archive-e:827-v:13-y:2005-d:2005-03-24-p:press]
