'Joint Moslem Plan Over Mosque Fire’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32077, 27 August 1969, Page 13

' Joint Moslem Plan Over Mosque Fire’

(N.Z.P.A.-Retiter—Copyright) • CAIRO, August 26. President Nasser was reported today to have launched a dramatic new move for joint Moslem action against Israel over the Aksa Mosque fire as Arab Foreign Ministers held further secret emergency talks in Cairo.

Hie Egyptian leader’s new initiative was disclosed by the authoritative Cairo newspaper, “Al Ahram,” which said that he had asked King Feisal, of Saudi Arabia, to convene a Moslem summit meeting to discuss the Mosque’s burning last week.

The newspaper’s report came shortly after Foreign Ministers of 14 Arab States concluded a first urgent session lasting five hours last night on the incident, which has inflamed the entire Arab world and Moslems everywhere.

“Al Ahram’’ said that President Nasser also sent a message to King Hussein, of Jordan, backing his call for an Arab summit meeting to discuss the Middle East crisis generally. In the same message, the President expressed support for King Feisal’s week-end call for a Moslem summit meeting on the mosque fire. President Nasser proposed that the Moslem summit should be held in Saudi Arabia close to the two most sacred Moslem shrines at Mecca and Medina, “Al Ahram” said. The Aksa Mosque is 'the third most revered Moslem shrine. President Nasser’s approaches to the two monarchs apparently were aimed at making the most of the unanimity so far achieved among Arab States over the mosque incident King Feisal has so far not been enthusiastic about an Arab summit meeting on the Middle East question in general King Hussein, on the other hand, has been pushing for such a meeting for the last year. The Jordanian Foreign Minister (Mr Abdel Moneim Rifai) reiterated the proposal again last night at the meeting.

Both Supported In his message to King Hussein, President Nasser supported both summit meeting plans, and also called for fullest co-ordination between the Arab countries in regaining territory occupied by Israel.

The main responsibility lay on the States immediately facing Israel—Egypt, Jordan and Syria—and those which had troops along the confrontation line, he said. Other Arab states should also do what they could to help, “Al Ahram” quoted him as saying. The fire at the mosque has crystallised Arab anger at the two-year-old Israeli occupa-

tion of the entire city < Jerusalem and Arab land.

Guerrilla Action The delegate of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mr Khaled El Hassan, told the foreign ministers’ meeting that guerrilla action and armed struggle was the only way to regain territory lost in the 1967 war. Sudan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr Farouk Abu Issa), said “full and immediate confrontation” of Israel was required, according to conference sources. The Egyptian Foreign Minister (Mr Mahmoud Riad), painted a fairly gloomy picture of prospects of a political solution, saying that the United States attitude had gone from bad to worse recently. The Palestine guerrilla

1 movement put before the • foreign ministers’ meeting a I radical new battle plan which, I if adopted, would cut Off • Middle East oil from the West, the Associated Press nel ported. i The guerrillas, now a poweri ful political factor in most Arab countries, are demand- ; ing complete mobilisation of i all economic as well as military forces in the fight against

Israel. The guerrilla plan provides for: the placing of all Arab armies under a single command; mobilisation of the Arab economies in the service of war against Israel and the use of Arab oil as a strategic weapon; a political and economic boycott of the United States, Britain and West Germany; establishment of closer relations with Communist nations; and increased support for the Palestine guerrilla movement If adopted, the plan might again stop the Sow of Arab oil to the West It was stopped briefly after tiie 1967 Arab-Israel war, but countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia discovered that their economies were hit harder than those of Western nations. Holy War

The foreign ministers have the task of translating emo-tion-charged calls for Jihad —-holy war—into military, political and economic action. The Aksa fire has prompted declarations reflecting a thorough new intransigence by Arab leaders. They appear now to have despaired of ever reaching a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict and speak of war as the only solution. King Feisal last night ordered his forces on full alert for the coming day of Jihad.

President Nasser declared at the week-end that force was the only means by which the conflict with Israel could be resolved.

Rockets In Jerusalem

<N.Z.P.A..Reuter—Copyright) JERUSALEM, Aug. 26. Two Soviet-built Katyusha rockets landed in residential areas of Western Jerusalem early today but caused no damage or injuries. A police spokesman said that one of the rockets, which have a range of about five miles, exploded in the Taipioth quarter and the other in the Katamon area, about half an hour after midnight Security forces combed the surrounding area looking for possible launching sites. Reports from the area said that Israeli forces immediately replied with mortar o re across the Jordan River, from where the rockets had been launched.