> > Activist Mailing List - http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/ > > Arab governments powerless and fragmented > > > Agence France Presse: Saturday January 16, 9:05 AM > > > DUBAI, Jan 16 (AFP) - Eight years after the end of the Gulf War, Arabs > remain powerless and fragmented over their stand on the Iraqi regime > -- refusing reconciliation but also failing to define any clear > policy. > > "The Arab governments are powerless to formulate a common policy over > their main problems, firstly the Iraqi question, and this forces them > to submit to others' strategies," said Burhan Ghaliun, political > science professor at France's Sorbonne university. > > "Arab countries' weakness to resolve the Iraqi question stems > essentially from inter-Arab conflicts and an inability to have a > policy independent of the United States," he said. > > As the odds of further US and British strikes on Iraq increase, the > Arab states cannot agree on whether to hold a summit or even a > ministerial meeting on the previous missile attacks launched in > December. > > Several countries, led by Saudi Arabia, are blocking Iraq's > participation in an Arab summit proposed by Yemen. > > Iraq, which has not attended a summit since its 1990 invasion of > Kuwait, has called for the Arabs to unite to lift the UN embargo > imposed after the invasion. > > "There will be no summit, because the Arab regimes will act to delay > it to allow the United States, which is pressuring them, to continue > its strikes on Iraq," said Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of > London-based Al-Qods Al-Arabi newspaper. > > "It is difficult, even impossible, to reintegrate the Iraqi regime > into the Arab family," said former Kuwaiti education minister Ahmad > al-Rabei. > > "Iraq has never managed to have normal ties with its neighbours, and > no Arab country trusts it," he said. > > Arab states, particularly the Gulf countries, are caught between their > fear of the Iraqi regime and a fear of the unknown if President Saddam > Hussein was overthrown. > > Not long after December's four-day US-British air campaign dubbed > operation Desert Fox, Saddam appeared on television urging the Arab > people to rise up against their leaders. > > His speech revived the Arab states' old fears about Baghdad, even for > those which had been making headway for more friendly ties. > > Saudi Arabia launched a humanitarian campaign to ease the crippling UN > sanctions to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people without > strengthening Saddam's regime. > > But Iraq dismissed the initiative as inspired by the Western allies to > "replace the temporary embargo with a permanent embargo", and "assuage > the Arab world's anger". > > If the Arabs were divided during the 1991 Gulf War in their support or > otherwise for Iraq, today "there is on one side the Arab people and on > the other their arguing governments", said Atwan. > > During December's strikes there were widespread pro-Iraqi > demonstrations across the Arab world. > > "The gap is widening between the Arab street and the governments," > said Atwan, who predicted "a popular explosion" if there are new > strikes. > > "It is certain that the Gulf regimes are losing crdibility over the > repeated strikes against Iraq ... and are finding themselves forced > into being more and more dependent on foreign protection," Ghaliun > said. > > In a situation like this, "it is desirable that Iraq be reintegrated > into the Arab world," Ghaliun said. > > But first "there must be an end to this inter-Arab war which serves as > a pretext for American intervention." > > > > > > JOIN THE ACTIVIST MAILING LIST > _____________________________________________________ > * The Activist * > http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian > =20 > This is not about the world that we inherited from our forefathers, > It is about the world we have borrowed from our children !!
Activist Mailing List - http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/ Arab governments powerless and fragmented Agence France Presse: Saturday January 16, 9:05 AM DUBAI, Jan 16 (AFP) - Eight years after the end of the Gulf War, Arabs remain powerless and fragmented over their stand on the Iraqi regime -- refusing reconciliation but also failing to define any clear policy. "The Arab governments are powerless to formulate a common policy over their main problems, firstly the Iraqi question, and this forces them to submit to others' strategies," said Burhan Ghaliun, political science professor at France's Sorbonne university. "Arab countries' weakness to resolve the Iraqi question stems essentially from inter-Arab conflicts and an inability to have a policy independent of the United States," he said. As the odds of further US and British strikes on Iraq increase, the Arab states cannot agree on whether to hold a summit or even a ministerial meeting on the previous missile attacks launched in December. Several countries, led by Saudi Arabia, are blocking Iraq's participation in an Arab summit proposed by Yemen. Iraq, which has not attended a summit since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, has called for the Arabs to unite to lift the UN embargo imposed after the invasion. "There will be no summit, because the Arab regimes will act to delay it to allow the United States, which is pressuring them, to continue its strikes on Iraq," said Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of London-based Al-Qods Al-Arabi newspaper. "It is difficult, even impossible, to reintegrate the Iraqi regime into the Arab family," said former Kuwaiti education minister Ahmad al-Rabei. "Iraq has never managed to have normal ties with its neighbours, and no Arab country trusts it," he said. Arab states, particularly the Gulf countries, are caught between their fear of the Iraqi regime and a fear of the unknown if President Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Not long after December's four-day US-British air campaign dubbed operation Desert Fox, Saddam appeared on television urging the Arab people to rise up against their leaders. His speech revived the Arab states' old fears about Baghdad, even for those which had been making headway for more friendly ties. Saudi Arabia launched a humanitarian campaign to ease the crippling UN sanctions to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people without strengthening Saddam's regime. But Iraq dismissed the initiative as inspired by the Western allies to "replace the temporary embargo with a permanent embargo", and "assuage the Arab world's anger". If the Arabs were divided during the 1991 Gulf War in their support or otherwise for Iraq, today "there is on one side the Arab people and on the other their arguing governments", said Atwan. During December's strikes there were widespread pro-Iraqi demonstrations across the Arab world. "The gap is widening between the Arab street and the governments," said Atwan, who predicted "a popular explosion" if there are new strikes. "It is certain that the Gulf regimes are losing crdibility over the repeated strikes against Iraq ... and are finding themselves forced into being more and more dependent on foreign protection," Ghaliun said. In a situation like this, "it is desirable that Iraq be reintegrated into the Arab world," Ghaliun said. But first "there must be an end to this inter-Arab war which serves as a pretext for American intervention." JOIN THE ACTIVIST MAILING LIST _____________________________________________________ * The Activist * http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian =20 This is not about the world that we inherited from our forefathers, It is about the world we have borrowed from our children !! _____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
