MFA JOINS CALL FOR EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL

UNCLAS ALGIERS 001311 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL IS LE AG SUBJECT: MFA JOINS CALL FOR EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING REF: ALGIERS 1305 ¶1. In conjunction with the meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, MFA issued a statement July 15 calling on the UN Security Council to "hold an emergency meeting to put an end to the criminal Israeli aggressions" and "assure the protection of the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples." In the statement, which apart from the call for an urgent UNSC meeting largely tracked with the MFA statement described reftel, the GOA denounced "the flagrant aggression" perpetrated by Israeli military forces against Palestine and Lebanon. It reiterated Algeria's "great concern" about the situation in the region, appealed to the Quartet to "work to stop the daily cycle of violence carried out by Israel" and repeated Algeria's call on Israel "to withdraw its forces, lift the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people and the whole of Lebanese territory, and free Arab and Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli prisons." ¶2. The statement called for Arab unity against "Israeli aggression" and said Israeli military operations served to "exacerbate the situation, accentuate the suffering, and complicate matters in this sensitive region of the world, all of which could result in deplorable consequences." The statement concluded by stating that Algeria "would spare no effort to support initiatives in favor of stopping aggression and occupation and establishing peace and security in this vital region of the world." SIEVERS