Arab countries must unite against critical challenges

Two Egyptian journalists said Friday the Arab summit, due in Kuwait next week, would be held amidst "critical challenges" in the Arab region, which required a unified Arab stance. The journalists, in statements to KUNA, called for a genuine Arab will to end the divisions among the Arab countries in order to pave way for stability and security for the Arab people. Hassan Al-Rashidi, of Al-Jomhuriah newspaper, said the Arab leaders needed to activate the Defense Agreement in order to address violence and thus end divisions marring the Arab world. "The Arabs should be united against the West's vision to partition countries of the Arab world," he said and cited the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, which led to the division of Turkish-held Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine into various French- and British-administered areas. The agreement took its name from its negotiators, Sir Mark Sykes of Britain and Francois Georges-Picot of France. Al-Rashidi called for stepping up the fight against terrorism, which was hampering development in the Arab countries. He also called for the further activation of the Arab endeavors to solve the Syrian crisis, which has entered its fourth year, in which some 140,000 people were killed and millions displaced. He said the Arab countries needed more economic and trade cooperation, as well as investing more money in giant projects to alleviate suffering of the poor people. Al-Rashidi called for the restructuring of the Arab League to cope with ongoing challenges. Najlaa' Mahfoudh, Assistant Chief Editor of Al-Ahram Newspaper, said the Arab summit would be held while inter-Arab divisions and crises were on the rise. "It is high time to honor demands of the Arab people to live in a free, prosperous and democratic life," she said. Mahfoudh called for the adoption of a new security strategy to ultimately tackle social, economic and political problems. She voiced confidence the March 25-26 Arab summit would have fruitful results that would meet hopes of the Arab people, commending the "wise policy" of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah