MANAMA: The Kuwaiti Ambassador to Bahrain, Sheikh Thamer Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, stressed on Tuesday the significance of the 33rd Arab Summit due in Manama on Thursday, saying it came at a delicate and historic time. Speaking to KUNA, he said the gathering would further promote Arab coordination and cooperation in response to the current challenges, regarding this as a strategic option for the Arab world to achieve security, peace, stability, and development for the Arab people.

The forthcoming gathering would revolve around several pressing Arab issues, chiefly the Palestinian cause, regional security and stability, sustainable development, and ways of maintaining Arab bonds. The Kuwaiti ambassador pointed out that, under the direction of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait attaches special significance to Arab issues, primarily supporting Palestinian rights. He also commended Bahrain’s distinguished preparations and arrangements for organizing the summit and creating the congenial atmosphere for a successful gathering.

Arab FMs meet

Meanwhile, the preparatory ministerial meeting for the 33rd Arab Summit kicked off in Manama on Tuesday, with conferees set to examine the summit draft agenda that addresses issues related to joint action and various topics, namely Palestine. Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani took over the summit chairmanship from his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who had headed the 32nd session, amid the attendance of Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Ghait and Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, who was on top of his country’s delegation.

The ministers are looking into the draft agenda of the forthcoming Arab Summit and the final statement of the top-level Arab conference. The draft agenda includes eight main topics related to common Arab action in the political, economic, social, cultural, media, and security realms, in addition to cooperation with regional and international blocs. Among the issues on the table are the Palestinian cause, the prospects of activating the Arab Peace Initiative, the Zionist occupation breaches in occupied Jerusalem, supporting the State of Palestine’s budget, and the Palestinian people’s steadfastness.

Also according to the draft agenda, the summiteers are scheduled to follow up on the Zionist occupation’s settlement schemes, the racial discrimination wall, the plights of the Palestinian prisoners and the refugees, issues related to the humanitarian mission of the UN agency for the refugees, the UNRWA, developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, and Syria’s Arab Golan.

They will also look into other topics such as solidarity with Lebanon, developments in Syria, supporting peace in Sudan, conditions in Libya and Yemen, backing Somalia, the Union of Comoros, and a proposed settlement to the border strife between Djibouti and Eritrea. Moreover, in the summit schedule are Iran’s occupation of the UAE’s three islands, Iran’s intervention in the domestic affairs of the Arab states, taking a unified stand against Turkish forces’ breaches of Iraq’s sovereignty, Turkish meddling in Arab countries’ local issues, and the Ethiopian dam question.

At the international level, it addresses the second Arab-Chinese Summit due to be hosted by Beijing, establishing a partnership forum between the Arab League and Asean, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and supporting Egypt’s nomination of Dr. Khaled Al-Anani for the director general’s post of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Furthermore, the agenda includes various economic, social, media, and legal files, as well as the climatic change issue, the Arab human rights strategy, and the common anti-terrorism strategy. The other scheduled topics are maintaining the Arab nation’s security, fighting terrorism, setting up an Arab organization for combating terrorism, resolutions filed by the Council of Economic and Social Affairs, and the planned final statement of the summit. Preparatory meetings for the summit started in Bahrain last Saturday. — KUNA