The Secretary-General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Al Arabi, who is currently visiting Bahrain, said that Arab Spring has put forth new challenges for the entire region which needs to be addressed through innovative and modern approach.
Dr Al Arabi, who addressed a Press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bahrain along with Bahrain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid, said that Arab League was like an old car of 1945 model which needs to be replaced.
“We are in discussions with all member states to bring changes to this 67 years old regional body and see how things will take shape with input from all member states. We are conscious of the requirements of the present challenges being faced by the world,” Dr Al Arabi added.
Referring to Syria he said that Arab League would continue to see the results of the Arab Monitors’ presence in Syria.
Dr Al Arabi said that he was unable to comment on the proposal of the Qatari Amir to send GCC forces to Syria to secure the peace and tranquility in Syria.
However, he added, that Syria being an important country in Syria will continue to be of a prime importance for the entire Arab League.
Later, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, praised the role of the Arab League’s secretary-general Nabil Al-Arabi, wishing the Arab League to succeed in finding ultimate practical solutions for crisis facing Arab countries.
The meeting took place in the presence of Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince met today at the Riffa Palace with Arab League secretary-general Nabil Al-Arabi who praised the Kingdom of Bahrain’s atmospheres of democracy and reforms. Al-ARabi hailed His Majesty the King for his initiatives ordering the conducting of the national dialogue and the creation of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) and cited His Majesty’s constant support to the Palestinian cause. Al-Arabi also updated His Royal Highness on the Syrian situation.
His Royal Highness described the current situation in the Arab world as a new phase which requires a new vision, and accentuated the need to avoid any exploitation of existing gap between the past and the present negatively or one-sidedly, and urged everybody to bear their responsibility and to comprehensively react to transformations and consider them as the rule of thumb instead of resisting change and described it as a national and patriotic duty to deal with change. His Royal Highness thanked the Arab League’s secretary-general for adopting the initiative of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain regarding the creation of an Arab Human Rights court.
Al-Arabi praised the role of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander in furthering democracy, upholding reformation in the Kingdom of Bahrain and praised the role of His Royal Highness in spreading the culture of dialogue, justice and egalitarianism.
His Royal Highness asserted absolute rejection of any one-sided solutions and lauded moderateness and shunned extremism and the need to achieve justice in Arab communities and to assume new responsibilities in order to encounter current difficulties.
The meeting was attended by chief of HRH the Crown Prince’s court Shaikh Khalifa bin Duaij Al Khalifa and the Kingdom of Bahrain’s ambassador in the Arab Republic of Egypt Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa.