Damascus calls for a preliminary meeting for the Ankara summit. Khaddam denies accepting Saddam on Syrian territory

publisher: الجزيرة .نت

Publishing date: 2003-01-18

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Iraq’s neighboring countries are actively engaged in efforts to avert any potential war initiated by Washington against Baghdad and seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Following Turkey’s recent call to the leaders of five Middle Eastern nations for a summit to be held in Ankara within days, Syria has now offered to host a ministerial meeting for regional countries neighboring Iraq, with the same objective in mind. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, Damascus is seeking to convene a foreign ministers’ meeting to prepare for the Ankara summit, which will involve the leaders of Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Turkey. A spokesperson for the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that Minister Farouq Al-Sharia will visit Saudi Arabia and Iran to discuss this proposal. The spokesperson further noted that if the ministerial meeting achieves tangible results and establishes a common ground, it could serve as a precursor to a summit of the concerned countries themselves, potentially held in Istanbul, aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis.

Last night, Ali Hassan Al-Majid, a member of the Revolutionary Command Council and cousin of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and delivered a message from Saddam, discussing ways to prevent an American war against Iraq.

In response to the Turkish invitation, Egypt has announced its agreement to participate in the proposed regional meeting, which aims to find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher stated that his country has accepted the Turkish invitation “in principle” and added that consultations are ongoing among the invited countries to determine the details of the meeting and its venue.

Egyptian mediation

took an unexpected turn with an unannounced visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Libya today. The visit is expected to be brief, lasting several hours, during which President Mubarak will hold talks with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

No official confirmation or details regarding Mubarak’s visit have been received. However, it coincides with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz’s delivery of a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to Colonel Gaddafi on Saturday.

According to press reports, discussions have centered around the possibility of exiling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, his family, and senior aides as a potential solution to the ongoing impasse. The proposed exile would come with guarantees against legal prosecution. Libya has emerged as one of the countries suggested for this purpose.

Baghdad has denied these plans and labeled them as absurd, emphasizing that no such measures are being considered. Similarly, Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam dismissed the reports in Moscow on Thursday, stating that Syria would only accept Saddam’s presence on its territory if he were compelled to leave Iraq.

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