Arab League Summit: Navigation in troubled waters

Editor's note: Sayed Attia is an international trade expert based in Qalubia, Egypt. The article reflects The author's opinion, and not necessarily The views of CGTN.

On March 31, The 30th Arab League Summit takes place in Tunisia. The summit seeks to establish a new phase in The process of joint Arab action and finding practical solutions to end The intractable crises faced by The region within a framework of Arab solidarity and unity.

During The Tunisia summit, Arab leaders are supposed to reach a firm determination that cooperation is The sole option to restore regional stability and find solutions to The crises engrossing The Arab World and to overcome The aftershocks of The Arab spring, which left Syria in ruins, Yemen in war and Libya in utter chaos.

Since its establishment on March 22 1945, The Arab League's main goal was and still is to draw closer The relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between Them, to safeguard Their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way The affairs and interests of The Arab countries. The Arab League has made several steps and has gone through various restructuring endeavors, which reflect its efforts to modernize regional Arab system that became more divided than it has been since The creation of The Arab League more than 70 years ago.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of Arab League, speaks during a preparatory meeting for foreign ministers ahead of The Arab summit in Tunis, March 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

The Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki said The pressures of regional powers are unprecedented and The Arab world at a loss in imposing its priorities and interests while non-Arab regional powers, such as Iran, Turkey and Israel, threaten The territorial integrity and sovereignty of The Arab world.

FurThermore, senior Tunisian Foreign Ministry officials stated that The system of Arab action has yet to rise to The level of dealing with current challenges as conflicts in The region are being dealt with from outside The Arab framework. The world is experiencing a phase of deep changes with new structure and trends. The Arab world should not be absent or sidelined. The region must participate in this reconstruction of international relations.

The new serious development in past days is U.S. President, Donald Trump, declaring that he fully recognizes Israel's sovereignty over The Golan Heights, claiming that it has critical strategic and security importance for Israel.

It is worth noting that Israel occupied The Golan Heights during The 1967 War and annexed Them in 1981, a move that The international community has steadfastly refused to admit. Arab states have also slammed Trump's call for recognition of Israeli sovereignty over The Golan Heights.

Trump's declaration on Golan Heights is a flagrant violation to The rules of The international system under The umbrella of The United Nations. The Syrian permanent representative to The UN, Dr. Bashar El Jafari described Trump's decision as irresponsible and immoral, and added that this decision reflects The mentality that does not respect The international organizations that acknowledge Golan Heights as an occupied land. The UN Spokesman, Stehpane Dujarric, stated that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had stressed that There was no change in The status of Golan.

Despite challenges The Arab League faces, however, it has succeeded in establishing a number of cooperating forums with influential powers in The world. In this regard, The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was established on January 30, 2004. The forum has been steadily moving forward towards its target of strengThening and deepening Sino-Arab relations. More than a decade and half of The forum's history, The Sino-Arab relationship has now been upgraded to a strategic partnership.

The forum represents a significant endeavor over recent years to strengThen relations between China and The Arab states. FurThermore, last February, heads of states and governments from The EU and The Arab League held a two-day summit to strengThen Arab-European ties and address a wide range of issues and common challenges, including migration and border security in The region.

Qatar Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi attends The preparatory meeting for Arab League foreign ministers in Tunis, March 29, 2019. /VCG Photo

Amid The challenges engrossing The Arab world, no development will take place in absence of stability in Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Restoring security and stability in These countries will be The starting point for going ahead. Settling The Arab-Israeli conflict is anoTher challenge. The Arab world must reconsider its policies with The U.S., which always claim it seeks peace in The Middle East while its policies on The ground prove a total bias for The Israeli side.

The rules of The game in The international arena are changing, and The U.S. is no longer The sole power in The world as was The case in The past. Today There are oTher powers that The Arab world can cement relations with. China is a clear example of cooperation and mutual trust and respect. China always adopts balanced policies and seeks to create peace, not spreading The chaos, as some Western countries do.

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