Cairo - The Angolan Head of State, who is also President of the African Union, João Lourenço, has left Cairo City after participating on Tuesday, March 4, in the extraordinary summit of the Arab League, held in the Egyptian capital.
The meeting aimed to analyze the situation in Palestine, with his presence as President of the African Union.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, the Angolan statesman repudiated any attempt to displace the Palestinian people from their territories, an intention expressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, as well as by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Natanyau.
On the occasion, João Lourenço also condemned the continued policy of expansion of settlements, occupation and illegal annexation of territory belonging to Palestine.
Before the summit, João Lourenço held a separate meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, with the aim of assessing the serious social and humanitarian situation experienced in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, due to the war between Hamas and Israel, which completely destroyed that territory in the Middle East.
The Arab League summit discussed the latest developments in Gaza, focusing on plans for the safe return of Palestinian civilians to their homes, reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and its future governance, in the scope of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
The Arab League is a regional organization of the Arab States of North Africa and the Middle East, founded on March 22, 1945 in Cairo, Egypt, the territory where the organization's headquarters are located.
Its objective is to promote political, economic, cultural and social cooperation between Arab countries and strengthen the unity of the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria (suspended since 2011), Tunisia and Yemen, are the countries that make up the organization.
The main objectives of the organization are the political and diplomatic coordination between Arab countries, the resolution of regional conflicts, the promotion of trade and economic cooperation, the defence of the interests of the Arab world in international issues, support for the Palestinian cause and Palestinian self-determination.
The Arab League has faced internal challenges, such as divisions among its members and difficulties in implementing joint decisions.
However, it remains an important forum for cooperation between Arab countries.
AFL/ART/MRA/jmc
