By Manal Abdel Fattah
Today, Ambassador Khaled bin Muhammad Manzalawi, Assistant Secretary-General for International Political Affairs of the League of Arab States, received a delegation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
His Excellency welcomed the delegation and informed them of the appreciation of His Excellency the Secretary-General for this visit. Then, a consultation session was held between the Department of Europe and Arab-European Cooperation and the NATO delegation, which dealt with the overall developments of political issues and crises of common concern on the regional and international arenas, most notably the Palestinian issue and the war on the Gaza Strip, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, passing through Sudan, Libya, and Lebanon, and ending with the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. In addition to ways to enhance cooperation between the two organizations, including the field of arms control (especially small arms and light weapons), combating terrorism, and disaster relief.
In another context, today the Council of the League of Arab States held an extraordinary session at the ministerial level to discuss the latest developments and developments that occurred in the Iraqi arena.
In his speech before the ministerial meeting held via video conference, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, affirmed the categorical rejection and complete condemnation of the Iranian bombing that targeted Iraqi areas in Erbil on the evening of January 15.
Aboul Gheit said that the Arab League’s decisions and positions are clear and unequivocal in their condemnation of the violation of Iraq’s sovereignty in previous incidents, stressing that Arab countries deal with their neighbors according to the principle of good neighborliness, and aspire to reciprocal treatment.
Aboul Gheit also stressed full solidarity with the Iraqi government in any measures it takes to preserve the country’s sovereignty and security.
Aboul Gheit warned that the Iraqi arena must never become a field for settling scores or achieving regional gains, warning against sliding into expanding the scope of war in the Middle East in a way that exposes the security of the region and its people to extreme danger.