Libya Walks out of Emergency Arab SummitLibya quit an emergency Arab summit Saturday in Cairo to protest against the meeting's failure of declaring a clear diplomatic break with Israel.The Libyan delegation said it was leaving due to "reservations about a draft resolution which carries no clear decision concerning a break in Arab relations with the Zionist entity." The statement, distributed by the Libyan official news agency JANA in Cairo, also criticized the summit for not preparing to sanction Israel with the "weapon of a direct or indirect boycott." Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi favoring firm steps against Israel did not attend the two-day summit, who was represented by its permanent delegate to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim al-Honi. In the statement, the Libyan delegation said the summit "would take no concrete decision likely to end Israel's aggressive practices or protect the Arab nation and avenge its dignity which the Israelis have trampled on." It was all the more important to take firm steps against Israel because the Palestinians were under Israeli economic blockade, their list of martyrs was growing longer each day, and because of the mass Arab protests on the streets, they said. The summit, attended by at least 15 heads of state, was held to address the three weeks of bloody clashes between the Palestinians and Israeli security forces, which have killed more than 110 Palestinians and wounded thousands others. |
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