AL session avoids mention of prisoners, missing and no-fly zones

The meetings of the Arab foreign ministers that concluded in Cairo on Thursday did not witness any dramatic development after an Arab committee including Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem, the chairman of the Moroccan delegation, Abdul Salam Zenand and Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid in convincing Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf from omitting the two issues of the Iraqi, Kuwaiti and Saudi missing and the two no-fly zones in the northern and southern parts of Iraq from the agenda, under the condition that the two issues will be referred to in a decision released by the council by a report for the AL chief.

The decision assigned the AL chief to create a mechanism to settle humanitarian issues between Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It avoided mentioning the no-fly zones in the northern and southern parts of Iraq by asserting the territorial integrity of Iraq and the security of its neighboring countries, demanding the halt of acts conducted against Iraq in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

In a press conference held on Thursday afternoon, the AL chief stressed that the decision was approved unanimously, whereas it was viewed by the Iraqi foreign minister "as a step forward concerning Arab backing to Iraq, but it is not enough."

The AL chief described the atmosphere of the meeting as "positive" rejecting doubts about the said decision because it did not take a certain stand for backing Iraq. "I reject the policy of fishing in a troubled water," Abdul Meguid said.

On the other hand, the Arab committee in charge of the Iraqi file (including the foreign ministers of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Yemen and Bahrain) did not meet as scheduled due to Iraq's continued reservations because it is not a member of the committee.

Abdul Meguid said the committee did not meet because "conditions are not suitable."