Aboul Gheit: If the Arab countries agree to call Syria, we will implement it immediately

The general secretary of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit praised on Wednesday the good organization of the Arab economic and social development summit in Beirut, which will be successful and stressed that "if the Arab countries agree to call Syria to implement it immediately".

He apologized yesterday with the Arab leaders for not attending the summit, the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the Tunisian President Baiji Qaid Al-Sibsi, at the time the summit began with a meeting at the level of delegates.

The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received Aboul Gheit upon his arrival in Beirut to attend the summit, accompanied by the assistant general secretary Hossam Zaki and the official spokesperson of the Mahmoud Afifi University.

After the meeting, Aboul Gheit issued a statement in which he thanked Lebanon for hosting the fourth summit on economic development. And he expressed deep admiration for the highly qualified Lebanese organization. We have seen an excellent organization and insurance beyond every conceivable. The more I spend one hour, the more I realize that this summit will be successful. "

He explained that he discussed with President Aoun the topics of the summit, including the economic and social dimensions, and assured him that the preparations for the Arab League are complete, tomorrow the ministers of foreign affairs and the economy will meet, today there will be a meeting at the level of permanent representatives. Sunday. "

When asked about the level of representation that Lebanon deserves, he said: "The form of participation is not yet clear … We are waiting to see how it will be, but Lebanon certainly deserves all the respect it has done and is ready to do".

He was asked: "You regret what happened on the Libyan question". Have you ever done this with President Aoun? I hope the summit is successful and that the honored effort that Lebanon has achieved will be achieved, because the question does not only concern Lebanon, but the Arab nation and the Arab nation. To create an appropriate environment in the economy, in commerce and in investments, as in the problems of children, women and old age and in the social dimension.

Regarding the return of Syria in the Arab League, he replied: "The Syrian question has different aspects, and it is sensitive, and we must recognize that Syria is an Arab state founded for the Arab League. day of the Council of Ministers, at any time, with a good preparation.If the Arab countries agree to invite Syria to take place, for our part as Secretary-General we are at the service of the Arab countries, it is the Secretary-General who tries to maintain Arab interests, so a decision without delay. "

Question: From your words do we understand that you are not yet in agreement with the Arabs on the return of Syria?

He replied: "This is a fact, and I talked about it, otherwise it would have been easier for the Secretary General to come to a conclusion and say," This is the conclusion, and so far I have not seen that there is a definite conclusion in both directions ".

delegations

Yesterday evening, at the Rafiq al-Hariri International Airport, a Palestinian delegation included Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki and Minister of Economy Abeer Odeh. The delegation also included the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, Finance Minister Mohammed Al Shareef, the Minister of Iraqi Economy Mohammad Hashim Abdul Majeed, Minister of Finance of Kuwait, Dr. Nayef Al Hajraf, undersecretary for financial and administrative affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the participation of Asaad bin Tariq Al Said at the summit. The Tunisian minister of economic diplomacy Hatem Al-Farajani arrived here today and said that the Tunisian president "will not participate in the summit and that his country will be represented by his foreign minister".

Private sector forums

The Arab private sector forum, held for two days at the headquarters of the Union of Arab Chambers, took place under the patronage of the appointed Prime Minister Saad Hariri and organized by the Union of Arab Chambers in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, with the slogan "Fourth industrial revolution and sustainable development for a more inclusive Arab economy".

Aboul Gheit concluded by saying that the Forum is "the cornerstone of the fourth Arab Development Summit". He said that "the language of common economic interests is an effective language at this stage and that stimulating cooperation mechanisms to achieve greater economic integration between the Arab countries is important for achieving the goals of sustainable development and improving the standard of living of Arab citizens ".

The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr Khalid Hanafi, announced the Forum's recommendations, in particular the Arab countries to remove non-tariff barriers within a certain period of time and to facilitate the entry into force of the Arab Convention for the Liberation of Trade and the Adoption of a New Arab Investment Agreement to Facilitate the Movement of Arab Investment Among Arab Countries. The recommendations also called for the formulation of a joint Arab strategy for the digital economy based on an integrated information system, in connection with the modernization of the legislative structure and the dissemination of electronic public services. It included voices on the emancipation of women and young people and the involvement of the private sector in economic decision-making, the financing of sustainable development and the reconstruction of the Arab states affected by the conflict.

Meeting of delegates

The meeting was organized by the assistant undersecretary of international finance for the reign of Saudi Arabia, Hussein Shweish Al-Shawish, to discuss the preparatory documents for the summit. A second meeting was held in the afternoon, where Lebanon received the presidency of the fourth summit of the Saudi delegation, which was the summit of the third summit.