US, Arab League sign framework for future dialogue

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Arab League Secretary General Dr. Nabil El Arabi, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlining a framework for future dialogue and technical cooperation between the United States and the Arab League. The memorandum outlines a plan for regular high-level dialogue between the Secretary of State and the Arab League Secretary General, the State Department said late on Tuesday. It also establishes a framework for future cooperation "to bring direct benefits to our people, proposing issue-specific dialogues that address areas such as education and humanitarian cooperation," the announcement said. Clinton and El Arabi met on the margins of the UN General Assembly's 67th session , now in progress in New York.    In their meeting, the two "noted the value of increased cooperation between the United States and the Arab League, highlighting their shared commitment to further action in support of the Syrian people," the announcement said. They also reaffirmed their condemnation of the killing of U.S. personnel in Libya and violence against embassies in the region and emphasized the tradition of tolerance shared by citizens in the United States and people across the Arab world, it said.  They also reviewed efforts by the Syrian opposition to follow up on the Cairo meeting that was held under Arab League auspices in August, and efforts inside and outside Syria to coalesce the opposition on the political dimension and in trying to deliver services in areas the regime no longer controls, the official said. At the end of the meeting, they briefly discussed the ad hoc meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People on Friday, the official noted.