Khaddam calls for the postponement of the Arab summit

publisher: الدستور

Publishing date: 2003-02-24

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Iraq has notified the rest of the Movement that it is making every effort to cooperate with the United Nations weapons inspectors. Iraqi officials have expressed contentment with the consecutive speeches delivered by leaders of the movement, which comprises approximately two-thirds of the members of the United Nations.

The summit has scheduled the issuance of a statement, urging Baghdad to comply with the demands of the United Nations and to eliminate any weapons of mass destruction. However, it may also prompt the United States to emphasize the necessity of multilateral action rather than unilateral action.

While a majority of the movement’s 116 members sought to explore ways of improving the standard of living in countries whose combined economies amount to only 90 percent of the size of the U.S. economy alone, the issue of weapons of mass destruction took center stage during the talks.

Kim Yong Nam vehemently criticized the speaker of the North Korean parliament, whose country instigated a nuclear crisis in recent times, in a speech delivered by the United States. He stated, “The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is the end result of a long-standing policy pursued by the United States for over half a century to isolate North Korea.”

The 13th Summit welcomed Iraq’s invitation, extended by Mr. Taha Yassin Ramadan, the Iraqi Vice President, to dispatch a delegation representing the movement to visit Baghdad, assess the situation, prepare a report for the countries of the Movement and the international community, and observe Iraq’s commitment to implementing resolutions of international legitimacy regarding the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction.

It was decided that the delegation would consist of South African foreign ministers, representing the former president of the movement, Malaysia as the current president of the movement, and Cuba as the subsequent president.

It is anticipated that this committee will travel to Baghdad at the earliest opportunity.

The leaders and heads of delegations from Islamic countries, currently present in Kuala Lumpur, will convene an informal meeting today at the World Trade Center, which serves as the headquarters for the Conference of Leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the agenda items for the upcoming extraordinary official Islamic summit, scheduled to take place on March 5 in Doha. The primary focus of the summit will be the Iraqi issue.

Consultations will be held to determine the course of action to be followed at the Islamic Summit in order to protect Iraq from a potential American strike and prevent the outbreak of war in the region, considering the severe consequences that all countries in the region would suffer.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abdel Halim Khaddam, the Syrian Vice President, has called for the postponement of the next regular summit until the middle of March. During discussions with several Arab journalists, including the Constitution delegation, he highlighted the efforts being made to delay the Arab summit. He emphasized that holding the summit earlier would provide an opportunity for the United States and Britain to launch a military strike against Iraq.

Khaddam further stated that collective Arab action should begin by standing united against the possibility of an attack on Iraq. Such an attack would not only create security instability for all countries in the region but also have detrimental economic effects, particularly on the global economy and the Arab economy as a whole.

He asserted that the invasion of Iraq would only serve to strengthen Israel’s dominance and extend its influence in the region, with the Palestinians and Iraqis being the victims.

Regarding Syria’s intentions, Mr. Khaddam denied any intention to engage with a potential new Iraqi government following the fall of the current regime, labelling such an act as treachery.

Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa dismissed claims of American or international pressure to refrain from hosting the next Arab summit in March.

He informed “Aldastour” that Bahrain is fully committed to supporting the success of the upcoming summit to be held in the Arab Republic of Egypt. He emphasized that Bahrain has not yet finalized its approval for the transfer of the summit headquarters, as consultations with the Arab League and the Arab member states are still ongoing. There is a general consensus among participants to relocate the summit venue.

Sheikh Ahmed Fahad al-Ahmad, the Kuwaiti Minister of Information, expressed his belief that there is no valid reason to postpone the regular Arab summit. He stated that if the summit is delayed, Kuwait may choose to boycott it.

Regarding his assessment of Iraq’s request to postpone the summit date, Sheikh al-Ahmad stated that he is unaware of the specific circumstances behind this demand. However, he acknowledged that Iraq likely has its own political considerations and perspectives.

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