5-13-05, 11:13am
GAZA, (IPC + Agencies) -- South American and Arab leaders at their first regional summit, condemned yesterday the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, a position that is at odds with the US policy.
Leaders, taking part in the summit, signed the 'Declaration of Brasilia', which condemned terrorism, denounced US sanctions against Syria and supported moves to give developing countries more clout on the international stage.
Seven Arab states who participated in the summit chose to focus on the Palestinian question, demanding Israel dismantle its illegal settlements and withdraw its troops to positions prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Also, the summit asserted the right of people 'to resist foreign occupation in accordance with the principles of international legitimacy and in compliance with international law.' However, it denounced terrorism.
The summit has lost some of its momentum, commentators believed, as strong Arab states' voices like those of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, were absent.
Leaders from Qatar and Chile, along with high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, also left before the closing ceremony.
In all, seven of 22 Arab heads of state attended, while eight of the 12 South American leaders came to Brasilia. The United States requested to attend as an observer, but Brazil refused.
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had urged participants to work on keeping free-trade rules that help the developing world's masses instead of rich countries and multinational corporations.
President Mahmoud Abbas had delivered a speech before the summit meeting, stressing keenness to peace with Israel on the basis of international legitimacy and UN resolutions 338 and 242.
'We are very keen on reaching just peace with Israel on the basis of full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab and Palestinain lands it occupied in 1967, as the latest Arab states summit of Algeria has adopted the comprehensive Arab peace initiative taken in 2002 by the Beirut-based Arab summit', the President made clear.
The two-day summit, which was convened in the Brazilian capital, witnessed the tightest security in years, as 9000 troops were deployed, along with tanks outside the convention center, where 15 heads of state and top officials from 34 South American, Middle Eastern and North African nations met.
