Arab ministers disagree on Iraq resolution
Arab foreign ministers have failed to forge a common position on the Iraqi-US crisis, indicating their governments were deeply divided on how to address the looming war.
Facing the prospect of a US-led attack on Saddam Hussein, the 22-nation Arab League – which includes Iraq – had moved the annual meeting date ahead nearly a month to tomorrow and moved its location to Egypt, seen as having the most clout to forge a consensus.
Ministers also appointed a nine-member committee along with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to draft a final resolution for the summit in the Red Sea port of Sharm el-Sheik, 240 miles south east of Cairo.
Yesterday, the ministers rejected a draft resolution that expressed, without specifying Iraq, ”absolute rejection of any illegitimate foreignaggression against any Arab country”.
The wording left open the possibility of acquiescence to a United Nations-authorised attack on Iraq.
Also on the summit agenda were Palestinian-Israeli violence and a Saudi proposal for political reform in the region.
Three points of view divide the Arab League, according to Arab diplomats.
One camp, which includes Kuwait, argues that war is inevitable and that the region should focus on dealing with the aftermath. Kuwait along with Bahrain is among Washington’s Arab allies hosting US troops and weapons for a possible war to disarm Saddam.
To that end, nine Iraqi opposition figures sent a letter to the summit urging Arab leaders to support their proposal for the United Nations, instead of a US military authority, to help run a post-Saddam Iraq.
A second camp includes Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which argues that war can be avoided if Iraq co-operates with UN weapons inspectors. The third camp, led by Syria, wants Arabs to rally around Iraq and produce a summit declaration opposed to war.
