Striking any Arab country will end alliance against terrorism

"We do not accept striking Iraq or any other Arab country" Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said. At a press conference at the close Tuesday of a conference on dialogue among civilizations hosted by the League, Moussa made it clear that he was not solely expressing his own view in this respect but that all Arab states were against such strikes.

Asked to comment on US President George Bush's recent statements on Iraq, Moussa said such statements would not change the Arab stance on that score, adding that launching military action against any Arab state would spell the end of consensus in the international alliance against terrorism.

Moussa recalled previous pronouncements by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that world states could contribute to the effort against terrorism through different ways, and not necessarily military force.