Arab League

In addition to these religious rules modem food standards have been accepted in most of the countries. Fortunately, the countries of the Arabian League have agreed upon the ASMO, located in Amman (Jordan) [48]. Based on the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission of FAOAVHO [2] the ASMO had modified CAC standards or developed new ones where necessary. The members of the Arabic League are not bound to adopt these standards, but in practice all food standards of the Arabian countries are based or influenced by ASMO. 

I wanted also to form some idea of the real character of that new Arab nationalism which had arisen out of centuries of Turkish domination and had, under British guidance, resulted in the formation of the Arab League. And I wanted to see, on the ground, the real character of the Jewish community which had grown so fast of recent years on the soil of Palestine and on which so many hopes and fears were centered. 

On May fifteenth, said David Ben Gurion, now Prime Minister of Israel, in an interview he gave me later during my visit to Tel Aviv, Ve shall set up our state. It will be an established fact. It can be destroyed only by force of arms, and we do not believe that the Arabs possess sufficient force for the purpose neither the Arabs of Palestine nor the combined states of the Arab League. ... 

After returning to the hotel, I found a note from Abdel Rahman Azzam Pasha, secretary general of the Arab League, inviting me to lunch at the Mehemet Ali Club at two o clock. I had left a message at his office asking for an interview, and this was the reply. 

I went back to the hotel, and had the hall porter send my note from Azzam Pasha over to the Grand Serai, addressed to His Excellency Riad Solh, the Prime Minister of the Lebanon and a very big wheel in the councils of the Arab League. 

Sharabati proved to be quite a character. He seems to have boundless energy, and he is said to be the spark plug of the Arab League s military planners, and Fawzi Bey s principal encourager and supporter in League councils. He speaks excellent English and is by no means reticent as to his plans and expectations. 

There ll be something going on there from now on, he said. King Abdullah is the keyman in the Arab League. You ought to go see him. ... 

So when I heard that the regent was flying to Amman to visit his uncle, accompanied by the chief of staff and the minister of war, I felt even more strongly than before that I must go to Amman, too, and as soon as possible. Later that day reports came in that there would soon be a conference of all the big shots of the Arab League in Amman. Finally a British friend slipped me the news that an Iraqi brigade had set out to march by road to Transjordan to reinforce Abdullah s army in case an invasion of Palestine were decided on. 

Samir shook his head. No, he said. The army will march. We will invade Palestine and do our best to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state. It is a duty which the King and our people owe to themselves and their fellow Arabs. If we do not move, the situation is quite hopeless and the Jews have an easy victory. We are the smallest and least wealthy of the states of the Arab League, saving perhaps Yemen, but we are the only state of the League which is pre-... 

From the point of view of international relations, the region is enclosed by the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe with the coastal states belonging to different political affiliations, such as the Arab League, European Union, and the Organisation of African Unity. The economic status of these states is also quite heterogenous, some being developed while others are developing or in transition. 

There are many definitions of the MENA region, ranging from a minimalist one that consists of countries whose official language is Arabic (as adopted by the Arab league and UNDP), to a maximalist definition which also includes Turkey and Iran (as used by the World Bank). 

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