Beirut undecided about Iraq

Lebanon has so far excluded Iraqi athletes from the Pan Arab Games which open in Beirut on July 12, sources close to the games said.

"The Iraqis don't have any visas to come to Lebanon. They will not get visas," said one of the sources.

"Because diplomatic ties between Lebanon and Iraq have been severed, we cannot welcome Iraq unless we received an order from the political authorities," said Zeid Khyami, director general of the sports ministry, which is in charge of organizing the games. "Until now we have not received such an order, so we cannot welcome the Iraqi athletes."

He said Lebanon decided to exclude Iraq from the games due to pressure from Kuwait and other Gulf Arab states. Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain had threatened to boycott the pan Arab games if Iraq participated.