Belgium refused to host Iraq opposition because timing

Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel announced yesterday from Cairo that his country refused to receive the Iraqi opposition conference which was due to be held in Brussels because its timing as it does not comply with the recent resolution of the UN security council. This was, however, expressed in the first official position that clarifies reasons that pushed Belgium to refuse hosting the conference on its territories.

Following his meeting with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, he added that the other reason for refusing the Iraqi opposition meeting lies in the inability to invite all Iraqi opposition groups to the conference.

Michel said "we do not support Baghdad's regime, but simultaneously it is not in our account to link between changing the regime and the UN resolution 1441." He added the recent UN Security Council resolution does not state to change the regime in Iraq, rather urges elimination of the weapons and the two things should not be mixed."

The Belgian foreign minister also called on Iraq to collaborate with the UN inspectors who arrived in Baghdad on Sunday in order to avoid the occurrence of a war. He said "We have to continue encouraging the Iraqis not to create problems with the inspectors because it is important to avoid a violent conflict." He commended "the role" played by the Egyptian President to convince Iraq to accept UN security council resolution 1441.