Arab League Council: Algeria Reiterates Call for De-Escalation and Dialogue in the Middle East
Algeria on Sunday renewed its call to all parties involved in the worsening military tensions across the Middle East to step back from escalation and military force and instead embrace dialogue and diplomatic engagement as the path forward for resolving disputes, however varied, sensitive or complex they may be.
In a statement circulated to delegates attending the 165th ministerial session of the Arab League Council, held via video conference, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, extended his “deepest solidarity to the brotherly Arab States targeted by the unjustified and unacceptable Iranian military strikes, amid the escalating military tensions gripping the Middle East.”
Attaf offered his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a swift recovery to the wounded, expressing the hope that “all our brothers may overcome the effects of the catastrophic material losses that have befallen them.” He said that “this position, which the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has never ceased to express to his brothers, Their Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses from the Arab States affected by the flames of this escalation, goes beyond the bounds of circumstantial or immediate considerations, to fall within a firm principled commitment.” He highlighted that this “commitment is what the President of the Republic has reaffirmed through his keenness on constant and regular communication with his Arab brothers and counterparts during this delicate moment of the history of the Middle East region and of the history of the Arab world as a whole.”
The minister also underlined that “only yesterday, the dangerous military escalation in the Middle East completed its first month, with threats of further escalation growing and its scope widening, while at the same time, early signs of de-escalation emerged which we hope, despite their weakness and fragility, will come to dominate the scene sooner rather than later.” In this regard, Attaf reiterated Algeria’s call “to all warring parties to step back from escalation and military confrontation and pursue dialogue and diplomacy to settle all differences, in their diversity, sensitivity and complexity.” He stressed that “both recent and distant history of the region stands as the clearest testament to the devastating consequences of military interventions, and confirms that the use of force has only generated more insecurity and instability for all, without exception.”
As regards Lebanon, Attaf said the ongoing escalation made it impossible to overlook the situation facing Lebanon, which is being subjected to a brutal Zionist military offensive, which attempts to replicate in it what it has committed and continues to commit of crimes against the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza.
On Iraq, he said “Our hearts are also with our brothers in Iraq as they are subjected to military aggressions from all conflicting parties in the region.” He stressed, however, that “this escalation should not overshadow our “central cause,” the Palestinian issue,” the Palestinian people, he added, continue to endure the Zionist occupation’s ongoing violations, a surge in settler violence and severe restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Attaf underscored that the “Palestinian cause remains, through all the shifts and turns of regional events, the core of the conflict in the Middle East,” arguing that “the denial of Palestinian national rights is the root cause of the region’s chronic insecurity and instability.
“We remain firmly convinced that the region cannot break free from its cycle of violence, insecurity and instability unless the Palestinian cause is given the attention, follow-up and engagement it deserves,” Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf concluded.
