Posted on 02/24/2003 7:06:40 AM PST by anotherview
Feb. 24, 2003
Iraq disappointed over "weak support" from Arab countries
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Iraq expressed deep disappointment Monday with fellow Arab nations for not giving more unequivocal support in its efforts to avoid a US-led invasion to disarm Baghdad.
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said he was especially disappointed that although Arab nations say they oppose a war on Baghdad, some of them - such as Qatar - have allowed their countries to be a platform for US troops preparing for a possible assault.
Even the Non-Aligned Movement now meeting for a summit in Kuala Lumpur, including some close US allies, has been more outspoken in supporting Iraq than Arab countries, Ramadan said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on the summit sidelines.
"The weakest position is the Arab position," Ramadan said. "There's no official support from the Arabs."
Iraq has been trying to delay an Arab League summit set for Saturday until mid-March, or around the time a US-sponsored resolution that may authorize a war on Iraq would go to a vote in the UN Security Council. Ramadan said UN weapons inspectors also would submit another report to the council on March 14, another reason to wait.
"Such a date (for the summit) would be useful for the Arabs to decide what to do, by then they would have ideas on how to carry out their mission properly," he said.
The coming weekend's Arab League meeting would fall on the day UN weapons inspectors set as the deadline for Iraq to start destroying dozens of banned missiles. Iraq said Sunday it was studying the order and would try to resolve the missile issue without any US interference.
Iraqi displeasure with the level of Arab support also surfaced when Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri was mobbed by reporters at the Non-Aligned Movement summit. He angrily told them that some Arab newspapers have been even more critical of Iraq than Israeli media.
"You're so happy and satisfied from this aggression on Iraq," he said. "What do you gain from an attack on Iraq? What will you achieve?
Ramadan criticized Qatar's current chairmanship of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and said it should not lead an Islamic conference because of its support for the United States.
He called the tiny Gulf state a "center for a growing US military presence that is gathering against Iraq."
Qatar rejected a request by Malaysia to hold an emergency OIC meeting on the sidelines of the non-aligned summit, but relented to holding informal talks instead. About 40 of the organization's 57 members were expected to attend Wednesday.
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