US decision complicates ME peace process: Arab ministers

The Arab foreign ministers have agreed that the US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel could only complicate the Middle East peace process and undermine the final status talks between Palestine and Israel.
The US move is detrimental to the peace efforts and constitutes provocation to Muslims worldwide, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubair said. He was addressing the emergency meeting of the Arab League Council, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The Arab peace initiative charted a roadmap for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict with the relevant UN resolutions being points of reference.

These resolutions affirm that east Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories and nullify all measures adopted by Israel to change status quo in the holy city, he reminded.

The Saudi minister added that Jerusalem is one of the main issues on the agenda of the final status talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, noting that any unilateral move could only complicate the negotiating process.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said his country is firmly opposed to the US move that runs counter to the international legitimacy. "The US decision and any impacts resulting from it are totally groundless and thereby unacceptable," he stressed. Shoukry regretted the deplorable shift in the US policy towards the holy city which risks turning the already tense situation in Palestine into flashpoint for the entire Middle East.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil called on the Arab countries to adopt whatever measures they deem appropriate against the US decision. He said that he will table an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council and ask the Lebanese cabinet to adopt measures against the US decision. Bassil stressed the Arab identity of the holy city, noting that the Arabs can never relinquish their claim to the city in the face of any occupying power.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui said the US move is a flagrant violation of the UN resolutions and risks undermine the Middle East peace process. "The move paves the way for Israel to persist in its aggressive policy against the Palestinian people and the Islamic sanctities in the holy city, thus pushing the region into more tensions. "It gives the green light for Israel to continue judaizing the holy city, change its demographical structure and speed up the settlement activities in the occupied territories," he warned.

Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel said the US decision constitutes "an unprecedented transgression on the international legitimacy and the Islamic and Christian sanctities in the holy city." He added that "The US administration failed to calculate properly the impacts of its decision on peace and security in the region and beyond. The serious decision showed a blatant bias by the US in favour of Israel," KUNA reported.