to eliminate discrimination

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KHARTOUM, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa on Tuesday warned against Israel's unilateral steps concerning the Middle East peace process.

Addressing the opening session of the 18th AL summit held in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, Moussa said that the Israeli unilateral steps only served the interests of Israel but neglected the interests of the Palestinian people.

Moussa made the warning as Israel started its general elections in which Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party was tipped to win the most seats.

Olmert has announced his intention to unilaterally fix the borders with the Palestinians by 2010 if Kadima wins.

In addition, Moussa urged the international community to eliminate discrimination over the nuclear issue, calling for international pressures on Israel to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities.

"It's crucial for the Middle East to be a region free from nuclear weapons, which can contribute to regional security and peace," he said, calling on Arab nations to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

Israel, believed to be the only nuclear power in the Mideast region, has never admitted or denied having nuclear bombs.
Moussa also condemned in his speech all forms of terrorism and urged for all necessary steps to eradicate terrorism, but refused equalizing Islam to terrorism.

He proposed an international conference on a clear definition of terrorism.

The annual AL summit kicked off in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Tuesday, with the Iraq issue, the situation on the Palestinian territories and the Darfur conflict topping the agenda. The two-day meeting has brought together some 10 heads of state of the 22-member pan-Arab bloc.

Editor: Zhu Jin