Tunisia will not attend the extraordinary Arab summit scheduled for Friday in the Qatari capital, Doha, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli military offensive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Tunis. The ministry said Tunisia’s decision not to attend was because it (meeting) would not be adequately prepared to adopt “a firm and efficient position against the Israeli aggression”. “Any Arab action should be preceded by (a serious) preparation to guarantee the adoption of a firm and efficient position to contribute to stopping the shedding of Palestinian blood, in line with the responsibility of Arab States to the brotherly people of Palestine,” the statement said. The ministry recalled that Tunisia welcomed a previous invitation by Qatar for an extraordinary session of Arab foreign ministers on 16 January in Kuwait, to discuss the report of the Arab Ministerial Commission, following its mission to the UN Security Council, and share views on the action to be taken in response to Israel’s refusal to observe Security Council resolution 1860. The resolution called for an “immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.
