Xinhua General News Service
January 19, 2005 Wednesday 2:30 PM EST
AL urges US to adopt “new policy” in Middle East
CAIRO
Arab League (AL) chief Amr Moussa on Wednesday urged the United
States to adopt a “new policy” toward conflicts in the Middle East,
especially the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Egypt’s official MENA news
agency reported.
Condoleezza Rice, designated US secretary of state, used “new
language” when talking about the US Mideast policy at Tuesday’s
confirmation hearing in the Senate, Moussa was quoted as telling
visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
“We hope the new language used by Rice can be turned into new
actions,” Moussa said, adding the United States should act as a ”
true mediator” on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
He also blasted Israel for its “aggressions against the Palestinian
people,” saying the current Israeli policy would only exacerbate the
situation in the region.
On the Iraqi file, Moussa warned against sectarian conflicts between
majority Shiite Muslims and minority Sunni Muslims in the country.
“Iraq should not be divided on a sectarian basis,” he said.
He said that the Iraqi parliamentarian elections slated for Jan. 30
were an important part of the political process in the country, and
urged all Iraqis to vote.