Foreign ministers of over 130 developing countries endorsed on Monday in the Qatari capital Doha the final statement and the agenda of the second G77 plus China summit due to start on Wednesday, official Qatar News Agency reported.
Qatar's Permanent UN Ambassador Naser Abdel-Aziz Al-Nasir was quoted as saying the final statement gives top priority to development-related issues, including south-south cooperation, the combat against poverty and hunger as well as the promotion of education.
The final statement, expected to be approved by leaders of the G77 at the end of the summit, also attaches great importance to the respect for sovereignty and resolving disputes through peaceful means.
"We uphold the principles of sovereignty and sovereign equality of states, territorial integrity and non-intervention in the internal affairs of any state and encourage the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner as international peace, security and justice are not endangered," it said.
On the political level, Nasir said the statement touches on some key matters, such as Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The statement urges Washington to lift sanctions against Syria, calling for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab lands and a just solution to the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict as well as pledging commitment to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq.
As for the agenda, Nasir said the summit will focus on means of boosting relations among G77 members, their relations with other developed countries, in addition to ways to eradicate poverty.
Meanwhile, Nasir said the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan would not attend the coming summit, but added that UN Deputy Secretary- General Louise Frechette would take part and deliver a speech at the conference.
The two-day summit is expected to be attended by 32 heads of state and prime ministers and foreign ministers of over 130 member states.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, current chairman of the G8, the Luxembourg Prime Minister who is the current president of the European Union (EU) and representatives from 20 regional and international organizations will also participate.
Source: Xinhua