Posted on 09/06/2003 4:12:44 PM PDT by Brian S
RIYADH, Sept 6 (AFP) - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has ruled out sending troops from the Arab regional bloc to Iraq, as desired by Washington, the GGC secretary general told AFP on Saturday.
"There is no intention of doing that," Abdulrahman al-Attiya told AFP ahead of Sunday's meeting of GCC foreign ministers in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
"The question is not actually under study," he said, as the United States worked to persuade Arab countries neighbouring Iraq as well as Turkey to participate in efforts to stabilise the war-torn country.
On the other hand, ministers from the GCC states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman -- will consider the question of Iraqi representation during an Arab League meeting next week, Attiya said.
"I think that we will reach a common position on who represents Iraq at the Arab League meeting," to be held in Cairo September on 9-10, he said.
GCC members could agree to Iraq's seat being occupied by a representative of a government put in place with the blessing of the United States, Attiya suggested.
"That question will not be on the agenda on the day of the Jeddah meeting given that Iraq has not (formally) asked for it," he added.
A GCC official said Wednesday that the situation in Iraq would dominate Sunday's meeting.
The ministers will focus on "developments in Iraq in light of the regional tour by a delegation from Iraq's interim Governing Council and the announcement of the (post-war) cabinet", the official said.
Arab leaders are reluctant to formally recognise Iraq's interim Governing Council, appointed July 13 by the US-led coalition.
A council delegation recently toured the GCC countries, with the exception of Qatar, during which it requested Gulf support for Iraq.
Most of Iraq's first post-war cabinet was sworn in Wednesday in Baghdad.
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