Arabs Oppose Iraq Attack, Won’at Participate in War

Southnews, 2 March 2003

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - Arab leaders on Saturday said they opposed an attack on Iraq as a threat against Arab national security, and said their countries would not participate in any war, a final communique said.

At the end of their one-day summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Arab leaders agreed on the complete rejection of a strike against Iraq, or threatening the security and safety of any Arab country, as a threat to the Arab national security, the communique read out by Arab League chief Amr Moussa said.

The leaders called for the crisis over Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction to be resolved peacefully under the umbrella of the United Nations, and asked that weapons inspectors be given adequate time to complete their mission.

They stressed that their countries refrain from participating in any military action that aims at the security, safety and territorial integrity of raq, the final communique said.