Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration emphasized the Arab solidarity in word and deed in dealing with the current developments in the region, and the absolute necessity to formulate common Arab positions in the face of all challenges. Arab leaders have vowed to join ranks and look into taking pre-emptive and defensive arrangements to maintain the Arab national security, Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Araby has said. The 'Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration' adopted during the two-day 26th Arab Summit that came to a close on Sunday, pointed to the 'challenges related to the criminal practices of terrorist and violent groups taking religion a cover for their brutality.' According to the Declaration read by Al-Araby in the Egyptian resort, the leaders decided to hold all available choices open, including coordinating efforts for the formation of an Arab joint force 'to counter the existing challenges and maintain the Arab national security, as well as defending our safety, joint future and our peoples' expectations.' This goes in line with the Arab League Charter, the Arab Joint Defense Treaty and the international legitimacy, it stressed. The Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration noted that the Arab Summit would focus work on challenges to the Arab national security, diagnosing their causes and taking necessary measures to counteract them. These challenges require joining efforts and alerting political, military, economic, cultural and social potentials to secure Arab territorial integrity, and coexistence, it said. The Arab leaders stressed pride of the Arab League in its 70th anniversary, and their commitment to the goals of the founder leaders, namely, consolidating ties among member states, coordinating political plans to achieve cooperation, and maintaining their independence, sovereignty and joint heritage. 'This is all embodied in the Arab League Charter in 1945.' 'Our concept of the Arab national security addresses its overall meaning and political, economic, military and social dimensions, in terms of the Arab countries' ability to defend themselves and maintain their independence, sovereignty, rights and territorial integrity,' they stressed. They also noted that the Arab national security has come under several threats targeting many member countries. The Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration referred to the 'conflict between the concept of a modern state and destructive projects that detract the idea of a national state and employ the ethnic, religious and sectarian variation in bloody conflicts, sponsored by external parties.' It cited recent developments in Yemen and the slide the country almost fell into as a flagrant example of these challenges and stressed the dire need for 'necessary measures to counter them.' This has prompted Arab and international effective moves in Yemen after all means to reach a peaceful solution to end the Houthi coup and restore legitimacy were exhausted. The Declaration refers to the 'Determination Storm' operation supporting legitimacy in Yemen, which will continue 'till the Houthi militias withdraw and hand over their arms, finally restoring a 'unified and a strong Yemen. The Declaration also emphasizes the need that the Middle East gets rid of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and on Israel's accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), in the Middle East, as well as to place all its nuclear facilities as well as the Middle East countries, including Iran, to the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Sharm el Sheikh Declaration stressed in this context that the Arab economic integration is an integral part of the Arab national security system, including the completion of the Greater Arab Free Trade Zone and the achievement of food security as well as the initiative of the Sudan in this regard, in addition to the sustainable development and optimal utilization of resources and narrowing the Arab food gap and future management of financial resources for achieving Arab water security. The Declaration expressed the Arab leaders' deep thanks to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt and its great people for the warm reception and hospitality and to the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and its various institutions for accurate preparation of the Arab summit, well organization and its good management. The Declaration also expressed the Arab leaders' thanks to the Secretary General of the Arab League and officials of its Secretariat for their keenness and efforts for the success of the summit.
