What’s New

Tuesday August 2, 2016

His Excellency Ambassador Salah Sarhan meeting with Mr. Joseph Grieboski (President and CEO for Grieboski Global Strategies,LLC) at the League of Arab States office in Washington, D.C.

Arab League says South Sudan entitled to join organization

Cairo, July 9 (Petra) — The Arab League said on Saturday the new independent republic of South Sudan which seceded from the North today is entitled to be a fully-fledged member of the pan-Arab organisation.

Deputy secretary general Ahmad Bin Hilli said the league’s charter stipulates that member nations’ constitutions should embrace Arabic as their official language, a criteria which, he said, South Sudan met.

But he said South Sudan’s joining the league hinged on the political will of the new-born state’s leadership.

Hilli commented after the speaker of South Sudan’s legislature formally proclaimed independence for the world’s newest nation during a ceremony in its capital, Juba. The country’s flag was officially raised for the first time.

The league’s secretariat also expressed confidence that South Sudan would build peaceful and good neighbourly relations with the Khartoum government based on constructive cooperation and common bonds, interests and security and within their regional Arab and African environment.

It said in a statement that the league was confident that North and South Sudan would settle all outstanding issues between them, reiterating its support of peace and rebuilding efforts to fulfill the aspirations of Northern and Southern Sudanese.

Arab League discusses Palestinian statehood

Representatives of the Arab League have met in Qatar to discuss the Palestinian Authority’s application to the United Nations for official recognition as a Palestinian state.

Wednesday’s meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital, came before the UN General Assembly meeting in September.

Saeb Erekat, the Palestinian negotiator, said the application was a positive development for the peace process.

“Our request for UN permanent membership for the Palestinian State with 1967 borders and capital as Jerusalem doesn’t aim any kind of confrontation or conflict but it is only to maintain the option of two states and to preserve the peace process,” Erekat said.

He spoke after meeting Arab League representatives including the foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, Syria and Qatar.