ALGIERS — Activities of the 31st regular session of Arab foreign ministers’ meeting started Saturday in Algeria, in preparation for the Arab League Council at the summit level, which will be held on Nov. 1 and 2, 2022.

The two-day Arab foreign ministers’ meeting aims to adopt the draft agenda and consider and approve draft resolutions, while a consultative session will be held Sunday.

On behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Bin Abdul Karim Al-Khuraiji.

The Kingdom’s delegation also included the Saudi Ambassador to Algeria Abdullah Al-Busairi and the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the Arab League Ambassador Abdurrahman Al-Jumah.

The ministers are scheduled to resume Sunday at noon after adopting a draft agenda following the approval of several draft resolutions. Algeria this year assumes the rotating presidency of the Arab Summit from Tunisia, which hosted the regional talks back in 2019.

The Arab world has pinned high hopes on the success of the talks, which have received widespread praise as a move made to unify and restore stability in the region.

Arab foreign ministers met on Saturday at Abdullatif Rahal Hall in Algiers for a preparatory meeting.

Tunisia Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi said Arab states countries are “urged to work together to confront challenges they face,” calling to “find political settlements for the crises in some Arab countries, including the Palestinian issue”.

The Tunisian minister recalled the “common history” that unites Algeria and Tunisia, saying there was a cause for “pride,” and that the Arab summit was a “valuable opportunity to promote joint Arab action”.

He highlighted that “peace in the Arab region inevitably passes through the commencement of peace in Palestine,” reiterating his country’s keenness to host the Palestinian reconciliation process in Algeria, under the support of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The Tunisian minister said that the “most important challenges facing our countries are extremism and terrorism, and we are called upon to strengthen joint action to confront this scourge”.

Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra advocated “activating joint Arab action and doubling efforts as a harmonious group to confront obstacles and challenges.”

He added, “Algeria is very much counting on everyone’s contribution at the summit to achieve a fresh start in joint Arab action”.

Lamamra said, “Amid the developments that our world is witnessing, in their complexities, we should not forget the issues of our Arab nation, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.”

He noted, “Algeria called for activating the basic principles in structuring our relationship with neighboring countries that share our belonging to the Islamic nation as well as our African neighbors”.

Regarding the “difficult situations that some countries like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Lebanon are witnessing, the Algerian minister said that Arab nations themselves should make up for lost time and effort to advance prospects for peace and reconciliation.

Lamamra said, “I invite you, my colleagues, to work together in a spirit of compromise for the success of the i’reunification summiti’ on the anniversary of the (Algerian) November revolution, which remains a lofty title in the unity of our peoples.”

For his part, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit, who also attended the talks, said that “current international circumstances require Arab countries to formulate strong positions,” calling for efforts to end the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen.

He described the situation in Palestine as “tragic,” saying, Israel has a “hobby of playing with fire,” and that international sides “do not defend the solution” to the Middle East crisis except with “speeches”.

“The situation in the occupied territories is about to explode, and the current stage requires us to work hard to strengthen Palestinian steadfastness, to bring the Palestinians together and serve the Arab peoples in general,” he said.

He expressed his hope to implement the provisions of the Algeria Declaration, expected to be issued at the upcoming summit.

The meeting witnessed the handing over of rotating presidency of the Arab Summit, in its 31st session, from Tunisia to Algeria. The opening session was followed by a closed session to continue discussing the agenda of the 31st summit and to complete the discussion of the items and decisions issued by the preparatory meetings, which will be later presented to Arab leaders. — SPA & agencies