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OIC
to ‘Put Practical Plan’ to Stop Israeli Attacks
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| Palestinians
demonstrate in Gaza Strip promising to attack Israeli
checkpoints if Arafat is harmed |
DOHA,
March 29 (News Agencies) - Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad
bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani said Qatar, current chair of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) contacted world powers
to stop the current onslaught of Israeli offenses on the Palestinian
leadership and people.
Hamad
also called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council
for the same purpose in a telephone call with Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov. Russia is a permanent member of the UN
Security Council.
OIC’s
Secretary General, Abdul Wahed Belqeziz will be contacting Muslim
states to confer on the recent developments in Palestine, reported
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Sheikh
Hamad said the Secretary General will be “contacting major Islamic
states so as to put a plan—not an urgent meeting, but a practical
plan—to stop Israeli attacks.”
Hamad
also said that after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat contacted
Qatar’s emir, he started contacting the U.S. administration and
the other five members of the U.N. security council to “intervene
to halt this operation” against Arafat’s base in Ramallah and
civilians in Jerusalem.
Palestinian
Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said Arafat "demanded
urgent intervention" by the 57-member OIC.
Sheikh
Hamad said the Arabs should not give Sharon a chance to “abort”
the peace initiative proposed in the Arab summit on Thursday. This
would be achieved by continuing to promote the initiative while
“doing something to rescue our brethren in Palestine in any way”
he said.
The
peace initiative proposed normalization of Arab ties with Israel in
return for Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.
Hamad
added that the Palestinian leadership and people “are above
surrendering” despite Sharon’s efforts to cripple them.
Meanwhile,
Pakistan Friday joined Arab, Muslim and world criticism of
Israel’s aggressions against the Palestinians.
Pakistan
condemned the Israeli attacks on Palestine and said these attacks
are jeopardizing the peace process.
A
spokesman for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Israel’s attacks
are “all the more condemnable in view of the Arab League
declaration offering Israel peace and security in exchange for its
complete withdrawal from territories occupied since 1967."
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