Saudi FM proposes Inter-Iraqi reconciliation under Arab umbrella
Saudi Arabia-Iraq, Politics, 10/3/2005

The Saudi foreign minister prince Saud al-Faisal started the inauguration of the Arab ministerial committee in Iraq on Sunday evening in Jeddah by a proposal to convene a national reconciliation conference that includes all Iraqi groups under the umbrella of the Arab League.

Al-Faisal said in a speech he delivered at the meeting's inaugural session that a conference of that sort aims at reaching a wide national consensus and ensuring the participation of all Iraqi strata in the political operation.

Al-Faisal stressed that the participants in the committee agreed that the Arab League Secretary general Amr moussa to visit Iraq as soon as possible and to meet with different Iraqi sides and factions in preparations for the said conference. He indicated that there will be an Arab strategy concerning Iraq based on achieving national reconciliation and that results of Moussa's visit will be discussed in the emergency meeting of the Arab League council.

Moussa, for his part, said that the visit will be determined after contacts with the Iraqi government with the aim of finding appropriate conditions for it. But Moussa did not specify whether the visit will be made before or after the date of the referendum on the Iraqi constitution set for mid October.

The committee discussed a project prepared by the Arab League over laying an Arab strategy in support of Iraq, including the enhancement of Arab solidarity with Iraq.

The committee will study the possibility of opening a permanent office for the Arab League in Iraq, dispatching an Arab League mission to visit Iraq, and meet with its various social factions to draw a plan on how to deal with all future possibilities, the readiness of the Arab League to monitor the referendum on the Iraqi constitution and its general elections. The meeting will also discuss the role of joint Arab work organizations in rebuilding Iraq.

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