Saudi Arabia agrees to host Iraqi governing council delegation which meets with Amir of Kuwait
Iraq-Regional, Politics, 8/21/2003

The delegation representing the Iraqi governing council arrived in Kuwait yesterday in the course of its Gulf tour to ask for Arab support, at a time when Saudi Arabia announced consent to the request made by the delegation to visit the kingdom.

The Saudi news agency quoted an official source at the Saudi foreign ministry as saying that Riyadh's decision to agree on this request complies with the "UN resolution no 1500 issued on August 14, 2003," which welcomed the creation of the governing council.

The foreign ministers of each of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria stressed in their meeting held in Cairo on August 11 that the governing council does not represent "a legal authority" in Iraq, but they expressed readiness of their countries to host members of the council in their personal capacities. The delegation, led by the chairman of the council Ibrahim al-Jaafari so far visited the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait where he had met yesterday with the Amir of Kuwait.

Al- Jafaari considered the Amir of Kuwait meeting with the delegation as a recognition of "the governing council" saying "we will not forget that." He added that the Arab states recognition of the council "is a very important matter because this proved that Iraq is part of the Arab family." He indicated that the council received invitations to visit several Arab states which he did not specify, adding that the visit to Saudi Arabia might be made within the few coming days.

Despite the official welcome the delegation received in the Gulf states, member of the governing council Mohsin Abdul Hameed said that the position of the Arab states towards the council "is very negative." He added in a statement to al-Sabah daily issued in Baghdad yesterday that the "governing council seeks to explain its position towards the Arab states in order to clarify the true picture of its work because there is a big difference between what the Arabs know about the governing council and the reality."

Previous Stories:
  Financial Times: Saudi Islamists cross for Iraq   (8/20/2003)
  Iraqi intellectuals call for freezing Iraq's membership to the Arab league   (8/16/2003)
  Foreign ministers of Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia conclude meeting; rejection to recognize the Iraqi rule   (8/12/2003)
  Kuwait wants fraternal relations with Iraq   (8/4/2003)
  Iraqi refugees start to return back from Saudi Arabia   (7/31/2003)
  Okaz: Sabah al-Ahmad: we should forget Iraq's aggression against Kuwait   (7/17/2003)

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