-Caveat Lector- >From ArabicNews.CoM Report: Intensive meetings for Iraqi opposition Iraq, Politics, 12/28/98 The Kuwaiti daily al-Watan reported on Sunday, quoting Iraqi opposition sources in Tehran, that intensive contacts have been carried out between the opposition groups. The groups had attended a meeting in London during November with British Foreign Office Secretary Derek Fatchett and the US Undersecretary of state Martin Indyk to establish united military forces that would carry out a plan to topple the Iraqi government in several stages. The sources explained to the paper that the plan states that the opposition will topple the government through liberating cities in areas of southern Iraq where a provisional government is to be established. This government is to be recognized by several countries, at the top of which is the US, which pledged to finance this project until the end. Iraqi opposition sources added that some 16 Iraqi opposition groups agreed during their meeting with the US and British officials to set up an army as a step on the road to toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's government but under the condition that the US is to provide the needed financing for establishing this army. The Kuwaiti paper added that "the Islamic Call" group has doubted the capability of this project to succeed after Iran refused to cooperate with the US to down Baghdad's government. However, observers believe that appointing Muhammad Baqer Hakim, the chairman of the Higher Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, as a general commander for the troops of "Bader" contingent may have links to such developments, despite the fact that Baqer stressed to al-Watan that the Iraqi people are the ones who are entitled to make the change in Iraq. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arab states delay Wednesday's meeting on ministerial level Regional, Politics, 12/28/98 A meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which was scheduled for Wednesday in Cairo, was postponed to next January 24, said Monday secretary general of the Arab League, Esmat Abdel Meguid. The Arab league chief said the meeting was postponed at the request of member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates). The ministerial meeting was expected to look into Yemen's request to hold an emergency arab summit following the US-British raids against Iraq this December 16-19. The United Arab Emirates is considered one of the primary supporters of this summit, as UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan has called many times for restoring Arab solidarity to confront current challenges. Out of the 22 member countries of the Arab League, 17 had confirmed their participation in the foreign ministers meeting. Only Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the Comoro islands had not confirmed participation. Meanwhile, Political advisor to the Egyptian president, Oussama El Baz, ruled out on Sunday the holding of the summit "for the moment" as some countries do not want Iraq to participate. "It is unrealistic to think that some Arab countries would accept to take part in a summit where the Iraqi leadership will be participating at the highest level," he said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arab MPs for lifting boycott on Iraq, US-British aggression condemned Regional, Politics, 12/28/98 The 33rd emergency session of the Arab Parliamentary Union council concluded on Sunday in Amman. A number of recommendations were taken in this session. The participants in the session hailed the stances taken by Arab and Islamic countries and throughout the world against the attacks launched on Iraq and in solidarity with the people of Iraq. They praised the stances taken by friendly world parliaments, especially the Russian Duma, in this respect. The recommendations strongly condemned the US - British attacks on Iraq, calling for the UN Security Council to guarantee that such an attack will not be repeated again. They voiced support for the right of Iraq to demand compensation for material and human losses inflicted during the strikes. The recommendations confirmed Arab parliamentarians' effective solidarity for maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity as well as its independence and sovereignty. They rejected all forms of regional and international interference in the internal affairs of Iraq. The Arab parliamentarians also called on Arab governments to work toward lifting the blockade on Iraq and to put an end to the suffering of the Iraqi people. They called on the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union to adopt decisions calling upon Arab governments to work for lifting the blockade imposed on Iraq. The Arab parliamentarians participating in the session also demanded the cancellation of no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. They also called for holding an emergency Arab summit to take necessary decisions to support Iraq. The APU council also decided to send an Arab parliamentary delegation to Iraq to confirm solidarity and to get acquainted with the destruction caused by the US-British attacks and to publish this in a report to be circulated in all parliaments in the world. The APU council assigned the president of the union to send messages to parliamentarians from Russia and China to express the appreciation for the APU for the two countries' stances towards the attacks against Iraq. The APU called on the International Parliamentary Federation and on parliamentary councils all over the world to denounce the US - British attacks as a violation of the UN charter and to help Iraq's right to lift the blockade imposed on it. The APU is to organize a visit to be paid by an Arab parliamentary delegation to contact the European parliaments to discuss the topic of lifting the embargo from Iraq. Earlier in the morning, meetings of the emergency 33rd session of the Arab Parliamentary Union APU were held in Amman. Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan has called for just implementation of international legitimacy resolutions for all, according to clear criteria and guarantees of people's rights to peace and security. In an opening speech at the 33rd emergency session of the APU, the Jordanian crown prince added: "If it is the right of people of the region to live secure, away from the consequences of weapons of mass destruction, and this procedure must be implemented on all with no exception, regardless of justifications." The Jordanian crown prince voiced his country's solidarity with the people of Iraq noting: "Defending the rights of the Iraqi people is a defense of every Arab people in every Arab country that may be exposed to aggression." He stressed his country's categorical rejection of any plan aimed at partitioning Iraq and its rejection of economic sanctions against any country, especially against the Arab states. Prince Hassan also called for developing relations between the Arab states and Iran, "the Muslim and neighborly country." ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. 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