PM rejects concessions on League plan Friday, 03 February 2012 05:11

The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani talking to mediapersons in New York yesterday.

New York: The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, who is also Chairman of the Arab League’s Committee on Syria, said several meetings were held in the last two days and progress was made in the draft of a UN Security Council resolution, but there are issues on which Arab League cannot accept to offer concessions.

The Prime Minister was specifically referring to the decision issued by the Arab League on January 22, regarding a clear Arab plan to resolve the crisis.

In a press statement he gave yesterday, the Prime Minister said the matter now focuses around this point, which means  “we have to give up this.”

He said: “We told them that it would be better for the opposer to seek a veto on this... We will not accept an ineffective decision. We confirmed that there must be no ambiguity because the plan did not include any military intervention and did not include the issue of power because it is for the Syrian people to decide in their discussion on how they see the issue of power.”

The Prime Minister stressed that no less than that will be acceptable. He advised all states to take this into account saying “that is the minimum. If there is a veto so be it and all states must bear their responsibility for what is happening in this regard.”

On the current draft resolution, the Prime Minister said it is now reasonable, but this is the minimum that the Arab League accepts and we have come out with the final ideas. The other party knows that considerable progress has been made and that what we have clearly said to the friends. The objective is to reach a result acceptable to the Syrian people and to put an end to violence in Syria.”

The revised document, which was drafted after negotiations between ambassadors from the 15 members of the Security Council, no longer contains explicit details about an Arab League plan for a democratic transition in Syria.

The Arab plans envisaging President Bashar Al Assad’s transfer of power to his deputy and the formation of a unity government “are not made explicit in the latest draft, but it is very clear what they are referring to,” a Western diplomat said, alluding to the doubts that led Russia to vow it would veto any “unacceptable” proposal.AGENCIES

| More...