Arab FMs meeting kicks off in Sharm

The Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting kicked off in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh city on Thursday in preparation for the 26th Arab summit, which will take place on Saturday.
Today's meeting is chaired by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
During the meeting, the summit's draft agenda will be ratified, addressing Arab national security, the fight against extremist terrorists, the latest developments of the Palestinian cause and the situation in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The Arab foreign ministers will also ratify in a closed meeting the draft resolutions to be submitted at the Saturday summit.
The foreign ministers of the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, the Comoros, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, Yemen and Mauritania are attending the meeting.
The dangerous and escalating developments in Yemen caused by Houthi militias require speedy Arab action and measures to restore security and stability in the country, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al Hamad al Sabah said during the Arab Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Sharm El Sheikh.
Kuwait supports Yemen's constitutional legitimacy represented by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, he said.
Kuwait also backs Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself against the Houthis, who carried out attacks on Saudi lands, in line with the joint Arab defense pact of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League charter and the joint Arab defense agreement, Sheikh Sabah said.
Kuwait, the current chair of the Arab summit, has, along with other Arab countries, exerted clear efforts to support the Palestinian cause and end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al Hamad al Sabah said.
The Kuwaiti foreign minister pointed out to the ministerial follow-up committee on the Arab peace initiative, which held five meetings last year in the presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and shed light on Arab regional and international participation to show support to the Palestinian cause.
Kuwait was part of the Arab ministerial delegation, which visited Switzerland, France and the UK to back Arab efforts aiming at ending the Israeli occupation and offering protection to the Palestinian people, he said.
He added he had visited Palestine to meet with the Palestinian president and show support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and rejection of Israeli attacks.
Turning to Iraq, he said his country led an Arab ministerial delegation that visited the country to express support for the Iraqi government and its efforts to restore security into the country.
The delegation also went to Sudan and Lebanon with the same purpose, he added.
The top Kuwaiti diplomat also addressed the Syrian humanitarian crisis, now entering its fifth year, as well as the worrying developments in Libya.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the chairman of the session, said Arab national security faces major challenges pertaining to restoring the role of the state in the region.
Terrorism, posing the largest threat, requires effective measures to combat and dry up its sources, Shoukry said, adding that the confrontation should not be restricted to the security and military aspects.
Despite ongoing efforts on the military and security tracks to curtail the spread of terrorism over borders, a comprehensive confrontation that includes the economic, social and cultural dimensions is needed, the Egyptian foreign minister told the Arab summit's preparatory meeting in Sharm El Sheikh.
The dangerous Yemeni developments would have spilled over outside the country's borders if speedy and effective action was not taken, he said.
The Yemeni turbulences had forced a coalition of Arab countries to respond to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's plea for action, he said.
Egypt had announced its political and military support for the move and preparations for its participation with an air, naval and land force if necessary, he added.
Despite all, the Palestinian cause remains the central issue of the meeting's agenda, Shoukry said.
The Arabs will not rest until a Palestinian state is established with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said, adding that pressure should continue on the international community to take up its responsibility and stand firmly against Israeli practices undermining any hope for resolving the Palestinian cause, he said.
Out of its support, Egypt hosted in October a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza, he said, calling on donor countries to commit to the pledges they made during the event.
Turning to the rising violence in Libya, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt cannot remain silent about the situation in a country it shares land and sea borders with.
Egypt acknowledges the legitimacy of the elected parliament in Libya and the subsequent government, Shoukry told the Arab foreign ministers on Thursday.
Egypt also backs the United Nations-sponsored political dialogue held between Libyan rivals who chose to renounce violence, he added.
Shoukry dubbed the situation in Syria as tragic, noting that Egypt had been engaged through diplomatic channels in all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to the crisis.
Egypt is currently seeking to give space to Syrian national opposition powers to express their vision on an acceptable political solution, he said.
Cairo will be hosting this spring the second meeting of Syrian opposition powers, he noted.
Turning to national Arab security, he said the region has been facing challenges regarding clearing it from weapons of mass destruction.
Arab efforts over the past years had resulted in the issuance of international resolutions and obligations but have not been materialized unfortunately due to Israel's rejection to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, he added.
Egypt had proposed forming a joint Arab military force to handle threats in the region, he said, hoping that the Arab Summit will take a decision on activating the proposed initiative.
The convocation of the Arab summit in Sharm El Sheikh under Egypt's chairmanship reiterates confidence in Egypt's leading role under the current exceptional circumstances, Arab League Secretary General Nabil el Araby said.
The Arab League strongly supports Saudi Arabia's "Operation Decisive Storm" against Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a request by legitimate President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Araby said during a meeting of Arab foreign ministers held in preparation of the Arab summit.
The military operation is in line with the Arab League charter, resolutions on Yemen and the second article of the joint Arab defense treaty, he said.
A set of active and practical measures should be taken not just regarding the military aspects but inclusive of the cultural, ideological, media and societal ones to fight all forms of terrorism, the Arab League chief said.