Arab-African Meeting Held in Cairo ahead of Riyadh Summit Next Month

The opening of the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, 23 November 2016. (African Union)
The opening of the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, 23 November 2016. (African Union)
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Arab-African Meeting Held in Cairo ahead of Riyadh Summit Next Month

The opening of the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, 23 November 2016. (African Union)
The opening of the Fourth Africa-Arab Summit, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, 23 November 2016. (African Union)

An Arab League committee met in Cairo on Sunday to prepare for a congress of the Arab and African ministers of agriculture that will be held in Egypt on November 9 – 11.

The recommendations of the ministers’ meeting will be submitted to the Arab-African Summit, scheduled for Riyadh on November 25.

This is the forth meeting of the committee, which is attended by representatives from the Arab League, the African Union and Egypt, which hosts the summit of the Arab-African ministers of agriculture.

Following Sunday’s meeting, Ambassador Kamal Hassan Ali, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs at the Arab League, told reporters that participants discussed the technical papers that should be presented during the congress, adding that a fifth meeting will be held on November 3 for this end.

“The congress aims to boost cooperation between Africa and Arabs, particularly in the agricultural field, one of the main items on the agenda of next month’s Riyadh summit,” he added.

Asked whether the Arab League was satisfied with the progress of Arab-African cooperation after several meetings were held in this regard, he replied that efforts were ongoing to strengthen these ties, which he described as broad and wide-ranging.

On whether the current Israeli infiltration in Africa would have any negative impact on these relations, Ali stated: “Israel seeks such objectives, however, joint Arab-African joint cooperation will foil conspiracies plotted by any party.”



Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
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Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Israel Announces New Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi militias in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, following several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel.

The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeidah, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with Hezyaz and Ras Kanatib power stations. It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.”

Netanyahu monitored the new strikes along with military leaders, his government said. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The US military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days.

Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeidah, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Houthis designated as a terrorist organisation.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday over Houthi attacks against Israel, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday.