AL officials considers presence of Syrians in neighboring countries as temporary

Permanent representatives at the Arab League on Saturday adopted a resolution considering the presence of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries a temporary situation.

At their meeting at the Dead Sea Saturday as part of preparatory meetings for the 28th Arab Summit, they said the resolution, which was brokered by Jordan, calls for setting up a mechanism to support countries that host Syrian refugees.

The resolution, they said, entails sharing the burdens of hosting large numbers of Syrians refugees among the Arab states.

The resolution, announced at the meeting Saturday, indicated that the presence of a large number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries is a temporary condition and stressed on the need to create the necessary environment for the refugees to be able to return to their homes and contribute to the reconstruction of their country.

It also called on the international community and the donor countries to shoulder their responsibilities in supporting host communities.

One of the resolutions adopted Saturday commended Jordan's historic role in protecting the holy Islamic and Christian sites in Jerusalem and stressed on rejection of any Israeli attempts to alter the situation in Jerusalem.

The resolution underlined that the Palestinian issue is a central issue for the Arab nation and stressed on the Palestinian's right in statehood.

Arabs also stress on their commitment to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which entails that Arab normalize ties with Israel in return for withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967.

The resolution also calls on the international community to recognize the state of Palestine. It also condemns all Israeli settlement activities and discrimination against the Palestinians.

The resolution, which among others will be referred for Arab leaders for endorsement, stressed on the support for the steadfastness of the Palestinians in the face of Israeli aggression.

source: Xinhua