In response to the gracious invitation by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, the Supreme Council convened its 23rd session in Doha, the State Qatar on Saturday and Sunday from 17th to 18th Shawwal 1423 AH corresponding to 21st to 22nd December 2002 AD under the Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and was attended by their Majesties and Highnesses:
His Highness Sheikh Maktoom bin Rashed Al – Maktoom
Vice President and Prime Minister of the State of United
Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai
His Highness Sheikh Muhammad bin Mubarak Al – Khalifa
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
of the Kingdom of Bahrain
His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al – Faisal
Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed
Sultan of Oman
His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al – Ahmad Al – Jaber Al -Sabah
The First Deputy Prime Minister and the
Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait
The Council reviewed with deep concern, the developments taking place in the in the Middle East Peace Process and the dangerous deterioration of situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, which is due to continued aggression of the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people and their leadership, constituting a dangerous escalation of situations in the region and exposing the international security and peace to danger.
While condemning these savage acts, the Council stresses upon the need to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and to assist the Palestinian people in exercising their right to determine their own destiny and to establish their independent Palestinian State on their national soil with Holy Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with the provisions of the Arab peace initiative, which is the only way to realize comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Middle East and to save the region and the world from a war which might lead to dire consequences and human tragedy.
The Supreme Council renewed its demand from the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt these activities; and provide international protection to the Palestinians so that they could hold elections and undertake reforms required of them as a prerequisite for resumption of negotiations between the two sides.
The Council renewed its demands from the international community to make the Middle East region, including the Gulf region free from all forms of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons. It stressed upon the need Israel’s need to join the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to subject all its nuclear installations to international inspection system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
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