AL chief condemns Turkish, Iranian intervention in Arab states

CAIRO – 19 December 2019: The Arab League has condemned the Turkish intervention in Iraq and Syria, AL Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said, and reiterated his opposition to the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011, saying it have negatively affected Arab communities.

The “Arab Spring” refers to a series of anti-government uprisings that spread in many Arab countries, mainly calling for regime change.

Aboul Gheit in an interview with ON E on Wednesday said Turkey and Iran seek to weaken the role of the Arab League. He condemned the unprecedented Iranian interference in the Middle East.

Concerning Iraq, he said that the situation in the Middle Eastern country deteriorated after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The collapse of the nation-state concept of some Arab countries encouraged many regional states to intervene in their affairs, Aboul Gheit said. Allowing Western nations to interfere to change the situation gives them the chance to control Arab states.

The foreign intervention in the domestic affairs of some Arab countries was destructive, Aboul Gheit said, adding that the incidents have also affected the Palestinian cause.

He affirmed that the Arab League supports the Yemeni legitimate government and rejects the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias in the war torn country. He called for negotiations with the legitimate government in Yemen and condemned the Iranian significant interference in Yemen.

During his participation at the third edition of the World Youth Forum in South Sinai’s Sharm El Sheikh earlier in December, Aboul Gheit rejected calling the 2011 events “spring” as it resulted in the death of around 500,000 Syrian people, the expulsion of four to five million Syrians from their country, the displacement of six million Syrians, the destruction of Libya and Iraqi cities, and the return of cholera and poliomyelitis to Yemen.

“This should not be called a spring, and I am responsible for my words,” Aboul Geit added amid applause.