AL chief views Iraqi FM's call for a dialogue with Arab states as good initiative
Regional-Iraq, Politics, 2/1/1999

Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid has described the call made by Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf to open a dialogue with the Arab states as "a good initiative" from Baghdad in support of Arab joint action and Arab interests.

Earlier, al-Sahaf addressed his strong criticism to the Arab League during the recent Cairo meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers held last Sunday. He attacked the statement released by the Arab FMs despite the assertions of the Arab League chief to the London-based al-Hayat daily that the final statement of the Arab FMs was in the interests of Iraq and that the disputes over "words used in the statement was not an enough reason for the withdrawal of Iraq from the ministerial meeting."

However, Iraq's call to maintain dialogue with the Arab states seems to be a retreat in its stand, following contacts made by Arab ministers in which they told al-Sahaf that " Baghdad's keeping of her window open to the Arab countries is in her interest and asking al-Sahaf to reread the said statement fully in content and spirit."

Meanwhile, SANA reported from Cairo that the Arab League secretary general received an invitation to visit Kuwait in order to take part in the meetings of the Afro-Arab coordination committee which is to be hosted by Kuwait in the middle of this month.

During his visit, the AL chief will meet with Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad in order to discuss future steps that should be taken to revitalize joint Arab action, after Kuwait announced its readiness to attend an Arab summit attended by the Iraqi president, a matter which was viewed by Abdul Meguid as "positive."

On Sunday, the AL chief met in Cairo with Bahrain's ambassador to Egypt and its representative to the AL, Ibrahim al-Majid. Abdul Meguid delivered al-Majid a message to Bahrain's foreign minister in Bahrain's capacity as the current Arab member of the UN Security Council.

The message includes the AL stances concerning initiatives debated at the UN Security Council in dealing with the Iraqi crisis and alleviating the sufferings of the Iraqi people.

Previous Stories:
  Iraqi paper: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia are to pay dear price for US-British strikes   (1/27/1999)
  Iraq supports relations with Asia in semi-protest   (1/26/1999)
  Arab ministerial committee to lift sanctions imposed on Iraq meets shortly in Damascus   (1/26/1999)
  Iraq discusses measures against Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti stances   (1/26/1999)

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