Summary
President of the Lebanese Republic, host and Chairman of the fourteenth summit-level session of the Council of the Arab League in Beirut on 27 and 28 March 2002; his inaugural address was recognized as a document of the meeting (Arab Peace Initiative and Beirut Declaration (Beirut summit, 27-28 March 2002), PDF p.23).
Details
- The summit met at his kind invitation; the leaders convey deep appreciation to the President, Government, National Assembly and people of Lebanon and warm appreciation to Lahoud for the preparation and organization that ensured the summit’s success and for the wisdom and skill with which he directed its sessions (Arab Peace Initiative and Beirut Declaration (Beirut summit, 27-28 March 2002), PDF p.23, p.33).
- His inaugural address (PDF p.38-39) thanks King Abdullah II and Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose decision for the United Arab Emirates to forgo its turn brought the summit to Lebanon, and argues that from Madrid by way of the Oslo manoeuvres and the so-called Mitchell recommendations and the Tenet report matters went from bad to worse; that a halt to violence unlinked to implementation of the United Nations resolutions would leave the occupation in place; that Israel withdrew from most of southern Lebanon only under the pressure of the resistance and will only defer to Palestinian rights under the pressure of the Intifadah, above all the right of return enshrined in resolution 194 (III), on which the Taif accord was based, the Lebanese Constitution rejecting any resettlement in Lebanon; and that the summit’s message is “full peace in exchange for full rights with respect to territory and return” (PDF p.39).
- The Beirut Declaration closes with deep gratitude to Lahoud for conducting and directing the summit’s work (PDF p.36), and the chairmen list names him for Lebanon (PDF p.40).
Related pages
Arab Peace Initiative and Beirut Declaration (Beirut summit, 27-28 March 2002), Arab League, Arab Peace Initiative