Hitti from KSA: Lebanon Adheres to Arab Peace Initiative

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nassif Hitti reiterated Lebanon's commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative which was endorsed at the Beirut Arab League Summit in 2002, based upon related UN resolutions and international law principles, in order to reach a just, lasting, and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian Cause, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

In a statement delivered at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Hitti indicated that the conference was taking place "at a critical historic moment in the course of the Palestinian Cause and the Arab-Israeli conflict" considering the many challenges and reverberations not just for Palestine, but also for the region and the world.

Hitti started his speech by thanking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its “unremitting support for the Palestinian Cause and leading role in the service of the joint Arab and Islamic action.”

“The proposals made under the title of peace are solutions based on a quasi-Palestinian semi-sovereign statelet and on some Palestinian lands, while seeking to add legitimacy to the (Israeli) occupation and ignore legal principles and international resolutions," Hitti said.

"Such ideas would only cause further tensions, risks and destruction," he added.

"We are always open to hearing all proposals," he underlined, highlighting the necessity to abide by the related international laws and UN resolutions.

He also stressed that solutions must not be advantageous to one side at the expense of the other.

He lastly called for effective cooperation and swift action at all levels to make peace in compliance with the well-known international references, the principles of the Arab Peace Initiative, and the fresh Arab League decision.