Moussa discusses with Russian officials Iraqi and Palestinian developments

The secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa has stressed that the developments of the Iraqi issue and the deteriorated conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories and means of tackling them will be the focal for the discussions he will hold with the Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov and high ranking Russian officials during his visit to the Russian capital, Moscow, which started yesterday and will last for three days.

Moussa said in statements yesterday that he will stress during his talks with the Russian officials on the need of continued dealing with the Iraqi file through the UN Security Council and studying the report Iraq submitted on Saturday to the UN Security Council concerning its armament program as well as studying the report to be submitted by the UN arms inspectors to the UN Security Council by the end of January.

Moussa spoke of Iraq's total cooperation with the UN inspectors team and called for continuing this cooperation until the inspections measures are completed.

Moussa asserted that the Arab preoccupation in the Iraqi file does not mean at all that the Arab states have ignored or will ignore the priority given to the Arab- Israeli conflict under the continued Israeli oppressive practices against the Palestinians.

Moussa renewed rejection to all campaigns launched against Islam and the attempts aiming at linking between Islam and terrorism. He explained that no accusations should be addressed to any religion because a certain outlaw group belong in this or that religion.