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Hossam Zaki to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Plan to Displace Palestinians will not be Successful

Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Hossam Zaki to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Plan to Displace Palestinians will not be Successful

Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Arab League confirmed that an emergency summit, which will be held on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, will express a solid Arab position in support of Palestinian rights, and convey an Arab-Palestinian message to the world about the centrality of the political solution to the Palestinian cause.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the assistant secretary general of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, said that Arab foreign ministers will discuss on Thursday the draft resolution submitted by Palestine, and come up with a common stance.

The Arab diplomat stressed that western countries have “fallen morally in the current Gaza crisis,” adding that all talk of human rights and respect for them “has vanished when speaking about the Palestinian human being.”

Zaki considered that the positions of Moscow and Beijing were more rational than that of the West.

“Russia and China are friendly countries and have a much greater understanding of what is happening... This situation enables them to adopt better, more balanced and rational positions than the West. We do not say that they are with us one hundred percent, but they stand in much better positions,” he said.

Asked about his assessment of the US position on the Gaza crisis, the official said it is “a stance that is not positive, to say the least, and is very unfair towards the Palestinian situation and Palestinian rights.”

The official expressed an Arab determination to thwart any Israeli plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from their lands, noting that the Arab League will establish a mechanism to monitor Israeli genocide crimes and follow them up legally.

Regarding Arab perceptions of the future of the Gaza Strip, he said: “The Arabs refuse to talk about this matter before the ceasefire.”

Although “the Arab League is not a party to the ongoing ceasefire efforts,” according to Zaki, it “is actively following these endeavors...”

“The Israeli side is still rejecting the ceasefire, and is trying to barter the truce for the release of the hostages... There are Arab and other parties assuming roles in this effort.”

He also confirmed the presence of an Israeli plan to displace the Palestinians, saying: “Yes, we are convinced that Israel has this project, ambitions, and these ideas, but, God willing, we will thwart it completely.”

Zaki went on to say: “The Palestinian issue is not a security file, or a ‘war on terrorism’ issue... This is a complex issue with backgrounds and a history known to everyone, and the world must continue to view it as a political problem and deal with it on this basis.”

A few days before the emergency Arab summit hosted by Riyadh, the Arab League assistant secretary-general said that preparations were proceeding at an excellent pace.

He added that the Arab ministerial meeting will “discuss the draft resolution proposed by Palestine, which will include a set of elements that address the political situation.”

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Interviews

Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he wants to build a state that has the decision of war and peace and stressed he is committed to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, his first since his election in January, Aoun said: “Our objective is to build the state, so nothing is difficult. And if we want to talk about the concept of sovereignty, its concept is to place the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state, and to monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”

“When will it be achieved? Surely, the circumstances will allow it,” he told the newspaper.

Asked whether the state will be able to impose control over all Lebanese territories with its own forces and without any military or security partnership, he said: "It is no longer allowed for anyone other than the state to fulfill its national duty in protecting the land and the people ... When there is an aggression against the Lebanese state, the state makes the decision, and it determines how to mobilize forces to defend the country."

He also stressed his full commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “The state and all its institutions are committed to implementing the Resolution” on the “entire Lebanese territories,” Aoun said.

On the possible adoption of a defense strategy, Aoun insisted that even if a state does not have enemies on its borders, it should agree on a national security strategy that not only deals with military goals but also economic and fiscal objectives.

“We are tired of war,” he said in response to a question. “We hope to end military conflicts and resolve our problems through diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised that the Israeli army has stayed at five points in south Lebanon, Aoun said that Israel should have committed to the ceasefire agreement that was sponsored by the US and France and should have withdrawn from all areas it had entered during the war with Hezbollah.

“We are in contact with France and the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five points because they don’t have any military value,” he said.

“With the emergence of technologies, drones and satellites,” an army does not need a hill for surveillance, Aoun added.

"Saudi Arabia has become a gateway for the region and for the whole world. It has become a platform for global peace,” he said when asked why he has chosen to visit the Kingdom on his first official trip abroad.

“I hope and expect from Saudi Arabia, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that we correct the relationship for the benefit of both countries and remove all the obstacles ... so that we can build economic and natural relations between us.”

He said that during his visit he plans to ask Saudi Arabia to revive a grant of military aid to Lebanon.

On relations with the Syrian authorities, Aoun said he intends to have friendly ties the new Syrian administration and that one of the pressing issues is to resolve the problem of the porous border between the two countries.

“There are problems on the border (with Syria) with smugglers. Most importantly, the land and sea border with Syria should be demarcated,” he said.

Aoun also called for resolving the problem of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “The Syrian state cannot give up on 2 million citizens who have been displaced to Lebanon.”

The refugees should return because “the Syrian war ended and the regime that was persecuting them collapsed,” he said.