March 25, 2002
The Arab Peace Initiative:
The Arab League Council on the level of the summit, meeting in its 14th ordinary session;
Emphasizing what the extraordinary Arab summit adopted in Cairo in June 1996; namely, a just and comprehensive peace is a strategic option for the Arab states that can be achieved under the canopy of international legitimacy, and requires a reciprocal commitment by Israel in this regard;
After listening to the speech delivered by His Royal Highness Prince Abdallah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in which he announced his initiative, which called for Israel's full withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied in 1967 in implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, backed by the Madrid conference resolutions in 1991 and the principle of land for peace, and for Israel's acceptance of the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, whose capital is East Jerusalem, in return for the Arab states' establishment of normal [tabi'iyah] relations within the framework of a comprehensive peace with Israel;
Proceeding from the Arab states' conviction that a military solution to the conflict will not achieve peace or security to any of the parties;
1. The Council asks Israel to reconsider its policies and opt for peace by announcing that a just peace is its strategic option, too.
2. The Council also asks it to do the following:
A. Complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the 4 June 1967 line and the territories still occupied in southern Lebanon.
B. Attainment of a just solution to the problem of Palestinian refugees to be agreed upon in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution No. 194.
C. Acceptance of the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories occupied since 4 June 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
3. The Arab states will then do the following:
A. Consider the Arab-Israeli conflict over, sign a peace agreement with Israel, and achieve peace for all states in the region.
B. Establish normal relations with Israel within the framework of this comprehensive peace.
4. Rejection of all forms of Palestinian resettlement that conflicts with the special status of the host Arab countries.
5. The Council calls on the Government of Israel and all Israelis to accept this initiative to protect the peace opportunities and spare blood. This will enable the Arab states and Israel to live in peace side by side, and will provide the coming generations with a secure future, in which prosperity and stability prevail.
6. The Council calls on the international community with all its states and organizations to support this initiative.
7. The Council asks its presidency to form a special committee from a number of the concerned states and the [Arab League] secretary general to hold the necessary contacts on this initiative and gain support for it on all levels, headed by the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States, the Russian Federation, the Islamic states, and the European Union."
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