Arab League, African Union Kick off 9th General Meeting in Cairo

On Monday, Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Aboul Gheit and head of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki, co-chaired the ninth meeting of the Arab-African Cooperation, the highest mechanism for political coordination between the two organizations.

In his address, Aboul Gheit highlighted the importance of such a mechanism to promote more cooperation and integration of activities between the AU and the AL for the best interests of Arab and African peoples.

He also expressed the Arab League's appreciation for the historic relations binding the Arab and African worlds, noting that the African Commission has a significant role in boosting such ties in all fields and open up fields of cooperation between the two organizations in light of the huge challenges facing the Arab and African regions.

Aboul Gheit also said: "We are in dire need for doubling our institutional efforts to establish the pillars of security, stability and sustainable development in both the Arab and African regions."

He also stressed the necessity of Arab-African cooperation especially in settling regional crises, noting that Libya's conflict is still unsettled and the political process will take a long time to be resumed after a halt of ceasefire. He said there should be an outline for a roadmap to reach the stage of holding legislative and presidential elections in Tripoli.

As per Sudan, the Arab League chief underlined the transitional political process in Sudan, which is in full need for an Arab, African and international backing in order to implement Juba peace accord and maintain stability and security all over the country.

He also commended the role of the African Union in sponsoring the tripartite talks of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam and hoped for reaching a binding agreement that would take into consideration the interests of the parties involved.

He expressed hope on the treatment of the Sudanese-Ethiopian border issue based on the two countries' resolve not to opt for any military confrontation and abiding by a settlement in peaceful ways which maintains the full sovereignty of Sudan over its territories.

Aboul Gheit also voiced hope over settling the conflicts in Somalia and Kenya, a matter which could realize stability in the Horn of Africa and eastern the African continent.

He also renewed his appreciation for the African Union stances supporting the Palestinian issue and the right of Palestinians to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Concerning the Arab-African cooperation, Aboul Gheit has highly appreciated the efforts of the African Union to implement the recent decisions of the Arab-African Summit held in Malabo as well as current preparations for the upcoming Arab-African Summit in Riyadh amid the tough circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.