Arab League Sec Gen slams Sharon and backs intifada.
(20 Dec 2001)
1. Night shot of Cairo
2. Wide of news conference
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Amr Moussa , Arab League Secretary General
"It has to be taken within the same context - that he decided not to recognise Arafat as his partner. We don't think that Sharon is that partner in making peace. And this is a statement of fact that the ministers wished to put it on paper and in very clear terms. So, it has to be taken together with his rejection of Yasser Arafat, and there is a counter rejection, for sure.
4. Wide of conference
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary General
"Syria would have liked to see certain different formulations, as all of us would have liked too. But the final formulations of all the paragraphs were adopted unanimously."
6. Cutaway of journalist asking questions
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary General
"Israel so far refuses and I believe that Yasser Arafat has put it very clearly: "I'm ready for negotiations, if you are." If the Israelis prove to be unready for those negotiations then we will have other things to say. That is number one. But I seize the opportunity to salute again the Palestinian intifada and the reaction, the heroic reaction, of the Palestinians under occupation against the forces of occupation. As for the second one, concerning the relations with Israel. This will be the subject of a certain report, that is being formulated for serious consideration - or further consideration at a later stage."
8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Amr Moussa , Arab League Secretary General
9. Wide of Moussa
STORYLINE:
Arab ministers met in emergency session of the Arab League on Thursday to debate how to approach the continuing violence in the Middle East.
The nations have differing ideas on the best strategy to back Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, appeared unlikely to provide the Palestinians with any clear, strong direction despite a push by hard-line Syria to compel all Arab states to permanently sever ties with Israel.
The Arab League called the meeting to try to map out what the Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, called a future Arab strategy that would emphasise rejection of the Israeli point of view.
However, he acknowledged that Arabs have few options with which to deal with the escalating situation between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The meeting came more than a week after Israel's Cabinet declared Arafat "irrelevant" and stopped all contacts with his administration.
That followed a spate of suicide bombings carried out by Palestinian militants.
Arafat has since been cracking down on the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
A draft resolution submitted by Syria called for reactivating the economic boycott of Israel and suggested that Arab leaders should propose at their next summit that all relations with Israel should be permanently severed.
The Syrian draft also urged Arabs to reject U.S. classification of Palestinian and Lebanese groups as terrorist groups.
Syria's position is in line with those of the Islamic militant groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, which consider themselves liberation movements.
A 12-point Arab League draft communique contained far-softer language, apparently intended not to raise any controversy that could derail a consensus.
It also urges Washington not to use its veto power in the U.N. Security Council in favour of Israel.
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