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GV Arab league building(2 shots)
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GV INT. documents piled on council table
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MV Members arrive
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MV Delegates from Egypt and Morocco seated
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MV Delegates from North and South Yemen seated
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SV ZOOM OUT TO MV Hassouna opens meeting (2 shots)
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MV Tunisian and Bahrain delegates seated
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SV PAN Sudan and Saudi Arabian delegates seated
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SV Delegate from Syria
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SV Delegate from Iraq seated
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GV Delegates seated during meeting
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ARAB LEAGUE BUILDING, CAIRO: MEMBERS ARRIVING FRO OPENING OF 57TH SESSION: MEETING OPENED BY SECRETARY-GENERAL HASSOUNA: MEETING IN PROGRESS.




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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Israel was accused of "defying the world community" at the opening of the fifty-seventh session of the Arab League Council in Cairo on Saturday (March 11). Opening the session, Secretary-General Muhammad Hassouna of Egypt also accused Israel of becoming more aggressive.

Its defiance had reached its peak, he said, "during its recent aggressions on lebanon and syria".

After the opening, the meeting went into closed session.

The 14-nation Arab League, formed in 1945, meets generally twice a year. In addition to its member nations, it also has a representative for Palestine, which the organisation regards as being illegally occupied by the Israelis.

SYNOPSIS: The Arab League Council opened it fifty-seventh session in Cairo on Friday with a verbal attack on Israel. The 14-member-nation organisation, which was formed in 1945, considers the Israelis to be illegally occupying Palestine -- which is represented at the Arab League.

A series of recent armed clashes between Israel and Lebanon and Syria, on the frontiers separating the three countries, was condemned as "the peak of recent Israeli aggressions" at the meeting by Secretary-General Mohammad Hassouna of Egypt. Opening the meeting, Mr. Hassouna said Israel had recently become more insistent on aggression, and more defiant of the world community and all human principles and values. He also accused the United States of "not giving up its support of the aggressor", by continuing to supply Israel with military equipment.

On other topics, a resolution was to be presented concerning Arab relations with West Germany -- leaving each Arab nation free to make it own decision on establishing or maintaining diplomatic relations. The meeting later went into closed session.