عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Arab, Islamic Action Intensifies to Implement Riyadh Summit Resolutions on Gaza

The leaders of Arab and Islamic countries during the Riyadh summit last week. (Egyptian Presidency)
The leaders of Arab and Islamic countries during the Riyadh summit last week. (Egyptian Presidency)
TT
TT

Arab, Islamic Action Intensifies to Implement Riyadh Summit Resolutions on Gaza

The leaders of Arab and Islamic countries during the Riyadh summit last week. (Egyptian Presidency)
The leaders of Arab and Islamic countries during the Riyadh summit last week. (Egyptian Presidency)

The Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have been intensifying their efforts to implement the resolutions reached at their extraordinary Riyadh summit on Gaza last Saturday.

A ministerial Arab-Islamic committee is gearing up for meetings with the member states of the UN Security Council, urging for an immediate ceasefire.

The initiative is being led by Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Ambassador Hossam Zaki.

Zaki told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that “organizing meetings for the ministerial committee with the permanent members of the Security Council takes time due to the commitments and schedules of foreign officials, which somewhat hinders the implementation.”

“However, the ministerial committee, under the leadership of the Saudi presidency, is exerting every effort to secure the necessary appointments,” said Zaki, anticipating that “these meetings will take place soon.”

Meanwhile, the Palestinian delegate to the Arab League, Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that “preparations are underway for the Arab-Islamic ministerial committee to hold meetings in influential capitals around the world with the aim of halting the Israeli aggression on Gaza.”

Moreover, an Arab diplomatic source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “there are executive steps for the implementation of the Riyadh summit resolutions that will be announced soon, once the specific arrangements are finalized.”

The source, who requested anonymity, refused to disclose the “nature of these steps,” stating only that “they will be announced gradually.”

The resolution issued by the Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, and the Secretary-Generals of the Arab League and the OIC, to initiate immediate international action on behalf of all member states to formulate international steps to stop the war on Gaza.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Shiite Forces Boycott Meeting with Vatican Secretary on Lebanon’s Presidential Crisis

Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Parolin, al-Rai and other officials during the meeting at Bkirki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Representatives of Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shiite Council and Shiite deputies boycotted a meeting of the heads of sects and parliamentary blocs with Vatican Secretary Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki on Tuesday.

The meeting, which focused on the presidential crisis, was held at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai's invitation.

Addressing the gatherers, Parolin underlined the need to preserve the “Lebanese model” in the turbulent region. He called on the different parties to cooperate to resolve the crisis and reach solutions that “bring hope to Lebanon and its people.”

“I convey to you the greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is carefully following the developments in Lebanon...” he stated, adding: “Today, Lebanon must remain a model of coexistence and unity in light of the ongoing crises and wars.”

He said he was in Lebanon to help end the crisis, namely the failure to elect a president of the republic.

The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.

For his part, al-Rai emphasized that the meeting was a “gathering of the Lebanese family” and an opportunity for dialogue and mutual understanding, especially during these challenging times.

Shiite representatives boycotted the meeting despite an invitation being sent to the Supreme Shiite Islamic Council.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision was a response to remarks made by al-Rai during the Sunday mass sermon, in which he said that the resistance against Israel in the South has turned the area into an arena for terrorist acts that destabilize the security and stability of the region.

According to the same source, the Shiite community has no problem with the Vatican, as Parolin is scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri - a Shiite - on Wednesday.

Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan sent a letter to the Vatican secretary, criticizing al-Rai’s position without naming him and saying: “Some spiritual leaders in my country view what the group of its resisters are doing as abhorrent terrorism that must be deterred and prevented.”

“We do not accept that the Church uses positions that serve Zionist terrorism and global crime,” he added.

Regarding the election of a president, Qabalan stressed: “We want a Christian president for the Muslims, who is as eager as the Muslim resistance [Hezbollah] and its sacrifices for the sake of the Christian churches. This can only be achieved through consensus that safeguards the homeland of Muslims and Christians.”

Christian parties quickly slammed Qabalan’s remarks. In a statement, the Kataeb Party said the letter “contained clear incitement against the role of Bkirki and hateful sectarianism that we have never heard before even at the peak of the Lebanese [civil] war.”