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| Iraq |
| Arab League OKs Seat for Iraqi Council |
| 2003-09-09 |
| Outbreak of common-sense virus in Cairo. Film at 6. The Arab League unanimously granted the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council a seat on the pan-Arab body early Tuesday - delivering a major boost to the Bush administration’s post-war occupation. The decision ended weeks of debate within the 22-member League over whether to recognize Iraq’s interim authority, with opponents fearing that acceptance could be seen as a sign of support for the American invasion. ``That’s good,’’ James Cunningham, Bush’s deputy U.N. ambassador, said of the landmark decision. ``That’s a positive step.’’ A State Department spokeswoman said the United States hadn’t been officially notified of the development, but said it would be welcome. She said U.S. officials will follow up with the Arab League Tuesday on details of the step. Washington has said a new, democratically appointed government in Iraq could also act as a catalyst for reform throughout the Middle East, where most countries have been ruled for generations by royal families or regimes. Arab League foreign ministers issued a communique after six hours of debate saying the Governing Council had been granted a seat until an Iraqi government is formed and a new constitution drawn up. ``This decision was agreed upon unanimously,’’ the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters following the meeting. Awright, the weasels are up to something. The Arab League, which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, had been reluctant to welcome the Governing Council into its fold, fearing any recognition of it would be seen as a sign of support for the American invasion of an Arab state. But Tuesday’s decision paves the way for Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Kurdish leader appointed foreign minister when the Council’s first Cabinet was named Sept. 1, to sit alongside Arab envoys when a two-day foreign ministerial conference begins later in the day. On arriving Monday in Cairo, Zebari, making his first trip abroad since being appointed foreign minister Sept. 1, told reporters that he was not seeking recognition from the league. ``This is our right. We are claiming our legitimate right to be here and to be represented,’’ he said. ``Our message is: We’re the representatives of de facto Iraqi authority.’’ The effects of the council’s recognition could be far reaching. An emboldened Governing Council is expected to be a modifying influence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a stark contrast to the anti-Israeli position of Saddam’s regime. "See here boys, we’ve had a most impressive demonstration of modern combined arms warfare in our homeland. Spectacular, really. We’re convinced. Don’t make the Israelis convince you!" The council’s increased political standing regionally could be transferred to wider stages, paving the way for it to be Iraq’s official U.N. representative. The Security Council has already indicated broad acceptance of the council a transitional body. China, a veto-holding member of the Security Council, supported the League’s decision, with its U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, calling it ``a good move.’’ And the League’s decision was also expected to give the Iraqi council greater influence in the country’s important oil industry. Venezuela and some other OPEC members have refused to deal with U.S.-picked panel, saying its hadn’t been internationally recognized. Chavez is still awaiting permission from Fi-del. An example of some of the opposition faced by the council came when 30 Jordanian lawmakers on Monday presented a petition urging the government to block the Iraqi representative ``assigned by the U.S. occupation’’ from the Arab League meeting. But approval came after strong indications that Iraq would gain a seat. The foreign ministers of Sudan and the Comoros welcomed Iraq’s participation, saying the Governing Council should be dealt with until a permanent government was in place. ``The Iraqi people need the Arab League ... and it’s important that we, as Arabs, deal with this transitional situation ... and support it, ``Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters. Other countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, have said they would deal with the interim Governing Council. In Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, the foreign ministers of six Gulf countries issued a statement of support for the new Iraqi interim administration. Kuwait asked the Arab League earlier this month to allow Iraq to take part in its meetings. On Sunday, the Emirates said they had informed Zebari that it supported his participation in the meetings and ``all (efforts) that aim at returning stability and security to Iraq.’’ Good news. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 Wasn't the governing council planning on sending a Kurd (or was it a Kurdish delegation?) to the Arab League to represent its seat? I'd bet THAT would get their britches in a knot. |
| Posted by: Valentine 2003-9-9 11:48:52 PM |
| #4 The Arab League. Oh, boy. This should accomplish, like,... nothing. Hope they like Zebari's moustache. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-9-9 8:39:38 PM |
| #3 Given the rude backhanding they received from the "Arab League" mere weeks ago, let's hope that the Governing Council has a decent memory. The precious seat will go vacant, if they have any sense, to let them know that it is they who are not legitimate representatives of anything or anyone worthy of notice. |
| Posted by: .com (a.k.a. Abu This!) 2003-9-9 3:04:40 PM |
| #2 Hope they're keeping good security on this fellow. |
| Posted by: BH 2003-9-9 10:37:57 AM |
| #1 BAD news. First: A democratic Irak is a mortal danger for the thugocracies, jihadocracies of the "Arab" countries. They will do their utmost to torpedo it Second: Many of those countries have a Shiah majority opressed by a Sunni minority. That gives them a second reason to torpedo Iraq. Third: The Arabs only moment of glory has been the Islamic conquests and Islam is an effective tool for giving the Arabs a privileged status in other countries. When the young and secular Saddam Hussein or the young and secular Haffez el Assad dreamt of a united and glorious Arab nation extending from the Iranian border to Morocco they were referring to the Arab conquests and implicitly assigned the same objective than the islamists: world domination for the Arabs. Despite having fought one another Islamism and panarabism are close brothers. What we have to do is try as much possible to cut links between Iraq and the other Arab countries, remind them that they have a significant non-Arab minority, that the Shia are discriminated and persecuted in the other Arab countries, that they have their own glorious past in Babylon and if they want to succeed as a nation they have to define themselves as the descendents of Babylon and that they have no business playing games with the Arabs. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-9-9 7:41:59 AM |