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| Arabia | |
| Gulf Arabs divided over Gaza solution at summit | |
| 2008-12-31 | |
| MUSCAT - Gulf Arab heads of state were divided at a summit in Oman on Tuesday over how to address the conflict between Israel and Hamas, even though they were united in calling for an end to Israeli raids on Gaza. Qatar, one of the six U.S. allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, has called for an Arab summit to discuss the offensive that has killed about 350 Palestinians, while regional power Saudi Arabia has said it saw little benefit in a meeting where leaders make weightless statements. Saudi Arabia has urged an end to Israel’s attacks but appears inclined not to endorse a summit which may boost support for Hamas, an Islamist militant group backed by Shi’ite Muslim Iran and its Syrian all. ‘Obviously it will be difficult for them to reach a unified stance on the matter. Saudi Arabia has no interest in helping Hamas through political stances and it is aware that an Arab summit will do only that,’ a senior Arab diplomat said. ‘For Qatar, this portrays it as a defender of Arabs. This divide is not unique to the Gulf; the Arab world is divided along these lines,’ he told Reuters. Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss holding an emergency Arab summit at a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, a call also made by Syria. Commenting on the idea, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said: ‘There would be no benefit in attending an Arab summit for statements.’
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 Cue "Damascus" scene from "Lawrence of Arabia"... |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-12-31 01:57 |