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WORLD NEWS Monday 25 February 2019

EU, Arab leaders vow to boost security, migration ties

By LORNE COOK work on the document is fered the summit last Octo-
Associated Press continuing. ber as a symbolic sweeten-
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt In it, the leaders are likely to er to el-Sissi, much as they
(AP) — Leaders from Eu- commit to addressing con- did with Turkish President
ropean Union and Arab flicts in Syria and Yemen or Recep Tayyip Erdogan in
League countries pledged stalled Middle East peace 2015.
Sunday to boost coopera- efforts, yet paper over ma- The EU wants el-Sissi to or-
tion in the fight against ter- jor differences about how der the Egyptian coast
rorism and to tackle unau- to resolve them or who guard to pick up migrants
thorized migration at a first- might be responsible. leaving Libya and take
ever summit high in symbol- Some said that merely sit- them back to the African
ism but likely to yield few ting down together at the mainland, ensuring they do Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, chairs a meeting at an
concrete results. same table for the first time not become Europe's re- EU-Arab summit at the Sharm El Sheikh convention center in
Under tight security at the is a result in itself. sponsibility. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019.
Red Sea resort city of Sharm "The meeting is the mes- El-Sissi, in turn, would re- Associated Press
el-Sheikh, Egyptian Presi- sage," European Commis- ceive high-profile Europe-
dent Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi sion President Jean-Claude an recognition, promotion
opened two days of talks Juncker told reporters, sum- for Sharm el-Sheikh and
with a speech celebrating ming up the largely sym- a muting of criticism of his
what he described as his- bolic nature of the sum- government's human rights
toric cooperation between mit, while EU foreign policy record.
the two organizations. chief Federica Mogherini "We must work together —
But despite the public dis- said "this summit is, in itself, countries of origin, transit
play of unity, just drafting a deliverable." and destination — in order
a summit statement has Europe's migration chal- to break the business mod-
proved difficult. EU and lenge is at the heart of the el of smugglers and traffick-
Arab League foreign min- two-day meeting, being ers who lure people into
isters failed to agree earlier held under the slogan "In- dangerous journeys and
this month on a text after vesting in Stability." Desper- feed modern-day slavery,"
Hungary objected to the ate to bring migrant arrivals said EU Council President
section on migration, and under control, the EU of- Donald Tusk.q

Israel briefly detains senior Muslim

official in Jerusalem

Associated Press Israeli police confirmed crowds that gathered dis-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli the arrest Sunday, and persed peacefully after
police briefly detained the the Waqf later said police prayers. Tension at the
head of the Islamic author- had released Salhab and shrine have escalated in
ity that oversees Muslim banned him from entering recent days with similar
holy sites in Jerusalem early the site for a week. protests turning into scuffles
Sunday following recent On Friday, Palestinian pro- with police.
protests there. testers streamed into a part Police have arrested 60
The cleric, Sheikh Ab- of the Al-Aqsa mosque Palestinians in recent days
delazeem Salhab, was ap- compound that Israel had suspected of "causing dis-
pointed to head the Waqf sealed off in 2003 because turbances" and "inciting
by neighboring Jordan, it was home to a heritage violence."
which strongly protested organization allegedly The contested site, revered
the arrest. Jordan's minis- connected with a militant by Jews as the Temple
ter of Islamic affairs, Abdul Islamic group. Israeli police Mount and by Muslims as
Nasser Abul Basal, said the accused the Waqf, the Is- the Noble Sanctuary, is at
Israeli action was "danger- lamic authority that over- the heart of the Israeli-Pal-
ous and an unacceptable sees the compound, of estinian conflict. The com-
escalation" that affected attempting to change the pound is the third holiest
Jordan's role as the custo- status quo at the sensitive site in Islam and the holiest
dian of Islamic holy sites in site by convening in the site for Jews. It has been a
Jerusalem, according to closed area last week. flashpoint of violence in the
the Petra news agency. Israeli police said the past.q