Al-Arabi demands EU back Palestinian bid for UN ‘observer’ status

Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi Akram Ali – Cairo Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi has demanded that the EU back the Palestinian bid to become a United Nations “non-member observer state,” calling the Palestine issue is the “key” to security and stability in the Middle East.
Speaking at the joint Arab League-European Union foreign ministers meeting on Syria held in Cairo and attended by EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, al-Arabi referred to Europe as “the most important political bloc in our time.”
The Arab diplomat called on the European Union to play a more active role in arriving at a fair settlement of the Palestinian issue, criticising what he called the “disregard of Israeli excesses” and “violation of international resolutions.” Al-Arabi also blasted Israel’s settlement policies and its attempts to “change the demographic and geographic nature of the occupied Arab lands,” as well as “aborting all peaceful endeavours by the international community.” Al-Arabi also criticized the EU for giving Israel a prominent role within it which allows for the import of products made in occupied lands.
EU representatives, meanwhile, demanded backing for the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces recently formed in Doha. The newfound unity, representatives said, allow the opposition to speak with one voice, which improves the chances of success for UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in his mission
The EU also stressed the importance of a WMD-free Middle East. Representatives expressed hope in the success of efforts to hold the 2012 Conference on a WMD-free Zone in the Middle East toward the end of the current year
European representatives also expressed their hope that the meeting would be a new foundation in Arab-European relations on which new forms of cooperation can be built and that mutual political will may be translated into a paradigm shift in the nature of the relationship. The diplomats called for an appropriate institutional framework for political consultation; economic, developmental and social cooperation and facilitating the movement of people and capital between the two blocs.
The second EU-Arab League Ministerial meeting was attended by most Arab foreign minister and more than 17 of their European counterparts, in addition to Ashton.
The conference is set to produce a “Cairo Declaration” bill. The document is set to stress the importance of Arab-European cooperation in combating the unlawful flow of capital when it becomes necessary to freeze and retrieve funds that belong legitimately to the people of Arab Spring states. Special emphasis is placed on capital gained illegally and smuggled out of Arab countries by former state officials and businessmen. The European party commits to removing all obstacles before the process of retrieving funds. This comes in light of EU Decision no. 270, which allows Egypt to add new names to the list of officials whose European accounts are to be frozen.