LONDON, March 27, 2007, (WAFA)- Amnesty International called Tuesday on the Arab League to take a strong human rights stand on problems facing the Middle East and North Africa

In a public statement issued Tuesday Amnesty International said that League of Arab States must press for international monitoring in Occupied Palestinian Territories and strong peacekeeping force in Sudan

Pointing to continuing gross and widespread human rights abuses in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the organization said that the League and its member states must help address these situations and should no longer subordinate human rights to political considerations.

Amnesty called for supporting the establishment and deployment by the UN of an effective international human rights monitoring mechanism across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with a mandate to monitor compliance by each party with its obligations under international law.

It added that such a mechanism should report publicly and identify concrete measures to be taken by the respective parties, other states and international organizations to ensure adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law.

S.A.S. (17:23 P) (15:23 GMT)