Arab opposition to war against Iraq escalated
Iraq-Regional, Politics, 2/11/2003

Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Rafah to the south of Gaza in solidarity with Iraq and in rejection of the war against it, calling on the Arab states to side by it and attack the American interests.

The demonstrators in the march which was organized by the Palestinian people's committee in support of Iraq, raised the Palestinian and Iraqi flags and pictures for the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The demonstrators, numbered over 500 chanted slogans calling on the Arab states to suppport Iraq. the Angry Palestinians also burnt the Israeli and the American flags in the demonstration which took the streets of Rafah before it was dispersed calmly.

In Amman, the main Islamic opposition parties in Jordan called for taking part in the demonstration for supporting Iraq on February 15. The Islamic Labor Front party, in a statement, called on the citizens to turn off lights and TVs in all cities and villages for one hour on Friday and to light candles instead -- in protest of American threats against Iraq.

Meantime, scores of thousands of Indonesians demonstrated on Sunday in Jakarta in protest of the likely American attack against Iraq. The demonstration which was organized by the Islamic justice party is considered one of the largest acts of protest that took place in a country of the Islamic world against the war.

The number of the demonstrators increased when they headed for the headquarters of the UN and the US embassy where the government enhanced security measures in their surroundings and deployed 100 armed policemen for that purpose.

Leaders of the party delivered enthusiastic speeches which criticized the American administration military plans against Iraq. They called on the prime minister Megawatti Sokarno to oppose these plans strongly.

Indonesia, the largest Islamic country in population, expressed its opposition for any separate military action against Iraq. Muslims represents 85% of the population of Indonesia of 210 million inhabitants.

Previous Stories:
  Moussa: important and urgent issues at Arab emergency summit   (2/7/2003)
  Al-Safir: Moussa approves of early Arab summit   (2/4/2003)
  Istanbul meeting for peaceful solution to Iraqi crisis   (1/25/2003)

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