Al Monaataf: Palestinian ambassador pessimistic over future of Palestinian issue if war in Iraq fulfills objectives

Palestinian ambassador in Rabat, Abu Marwane, said he is pessimistic over the future of the Palestinian issue if the US-British led war against Iraq fulfills its objectives.

In an interview published this Friday by "Al Monaataf" daily, the Palestinian diplomat said he is worried that this war will encourage Israel to carry out a long-cherished dream of Israel: expelling the Palestinian people out of Palestine and expanding the area of the Great Israel, from the Nile to the Euphrates. He added this might lead the "Zionist forces to perpetrate crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people, in their bid to push the Arab nation into despair."

Of promises to publish "the road-map" made by US president George W. Bush, he called this "low-priced kickbacks." For Abu Marwane, the US-British war is not a gulf war but a world war, given its repercussions and range. He added that the ongoing battle is not a local one that is limited to the borders of Iraq, but it is a battle that will shape the destiny of the whole Arab states, because it seeks to re-design the political map in the region.

He also called Arab states to make diplomatic efforts by taking a firm action at the United Nations and at the Security Council in order to push for the adoption of a resolution condemning the aggression against Iraq.

He also deemed that the resistance and bravery showed by the Iraqi people are signs that the war will not be a short one and is likely to turn into another Vietnam.