Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s defense of Hezbollah in a speech before the Arab League has prompted the Saudi delegation to withdraw from the meeting, an Iraqi news agency reported Friday.
Arab league condemns Turkey’s Bombing Kurd PKK in Iraq operations
REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
Arab League secretary general Dr Nabil Al Arabi expressed Arab league’s condemnation of Turkish bombardment of northern Iraqi areas.
In a statement today,Tuesday, Arabi called on Turkey to respect Iraq’s sovereignty over all its territory ,committing to good neighborly principles and agreements signed between Iraq and Turkey.
Arabi demanded the two countries not to escalate, to resort to the mutual understanding, and to cooperate in order to address all matters relating to maintaining security and stability of the two countries.
Arabi emphasized Arab League’s conviction against all terrorist acts, which target security and stability in the region.
Source: el-balad
Qatar Support Turkish atrocity on Kurd PKK breaks Arab League
Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2ndL) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The Gulf country offers its ‘full solidarity’ as Turkey carries out northern Iraq bombing campaign targeting PKK militants,
Qatar has broken ranks with the Arab League to give close ally Turkey its full support for air strikes in northern Iraq, according to an official foreign ministry statement.
On Tuesday, the Arab League condemned Turkey’s actions and called on Ankara to recognise the sovereignty of Iraq.
The Arab League, of which Qatar has been a member since 1971, also called on Turkey and Iraq to increase cooperation in order to try and preserve peace.
In the statement released by Qatar’s official news agency late on Tuesday, however, Doha distanced itself from the Arab League declaration.
“The statement issued… on behalf of the Arab League was not discussed with the League member-states before releasing it,” it read.
“Qatar reiterated its full solidarity with the Republic of Turkey for its actions and measures to protect its borders and preservation of its security and stability.”
Relations between Qatar and Turkey have grown increasingly warm in recent years and 2015 has even been named by the countries as the “Qatar-Turkey Year of Culture”.
Turkey carried out the air strikes in recent weeks, claiming they were targeting militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Kurdish officials have said civilians were killed during the raids.
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Arab League points finger at Turkey, Israel over ‘interference’
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri
Asked at a news conference to explain vague references to “foreign powers” being behind conflicts in different Arab nations, Elaraby said: “I will answer this question indirectly. There is meddling by some neighbors, Israel on one side, Turkey and Iranian interference in several countries.”
Speaking after Elaraby, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said leaders also agreed in principle to creating a joint Arab military force. He said a high-level panel will work under the supervision of Arab chiefs of staff to work out the structure and mechanism of the force.
Elaraby said the chiefs of staff would meet within a month and have three more months to decide on the structure, budget and mechanism of the force before they present their proposals to a meeting of the Arab League’s Joint Defense Council.
“It is an important resolution given all the unprecedented unrest and threats endured by the Arab world,” Elaraby said.
A summit resolution said the force would be deployed at the request of any Arab nation facing a national security threat and that it would also be used to combat terrorist groups.
“There is a political will to create this force and not to leave its creation without a firm time frame,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a news conference.
40,000 elite troops