Arab League regrets Security Council resolution against Iraq

The Arab League (AL) expressed regret yesterday toward the adopted United Nations Security Council resolution stopping reviews of the sanctions against Iraq in response to Iraq's suspension of cooperation with UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.

The UN Security Council will not meet to review the sanctions against Iraq due to Iraq's lack of cooperation with UNSCOM. This means that the sanctions have no chance of being removed, until a review meeting takes place, which will not take place until Iraq cooperates with the UN, according to the just passed resolution. Iraq insists that it has complied with the UN mandates and that the inspection team efforts are politically motivated and aimed at crippling Iraq.

The assistant secretary general for international and political affairs at the AL characterized the resolution as a negative development increasing tension in the region.

He stated that Esmat Abdul Meguid, the Arab League's secretary general, is communicating with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to urge him to reconcile between the US and Iraqi points of view concerning the work of the UN inspection teams and lifting the sanctions from Iraq.

He also said that Iraq has not yet demanded any mediation from the Arab League to defuse the situation, but the league worked on containing the impasse.