Arab League countries to decide independently about support to Serbia
The chief of staff of the Arab League's general secretary, Hisham Yusuf, and political analyst Abdul Monem said Monday that the member countries of the Arab League would decide independently whether they will back in the UN General Assembly Serbia's initiative that the International Court of Justice gives an advisory opinion on the legality of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Yusuf said that he does not believe that the Arab League summit, held in Cairo, will conduct a joint debate on whether its members will support Serbia's initiative.
"We did not have a joint debate on that issue and I doubt that we will, but this will most certainly be discussed on the fringes of the summit", Yusuf said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says a number of Arab countries are considering the recognition of Kosovo.
"We will try and stop them," the foreign minister said after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit Monday in the Egyptian capital, adding that official Cairo itself "is strongly opposed to recognizing Kosovo independence".
Gheit is hosting the Arab League summit.
"I will meet with the foreign ministers and Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa. A number of Arab countries are thinking about recognizing Kosovo. We will try to stop them. Egypt is firmly against this and will help us in the lobbying. I hope that we will succeed," Jeremic said.
He will also present Belgrade's initiative, due to be taken before the UN General Assembly later this month.
"I will explain that it is the legal road forward, which guarantees peace and stability in the region and the preservation of international law," Jeremic said.
The diplomatic sources in Cairo have been saying that Saudi Arabia is preparing to recognize Kosovo Albanians' unilateral declaration, and that this country looks to convince other Arab states to follow suit.
However, the same sources said, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya are all opposed to this.
