Arab nations ask UNSC for meeting on Iraq<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Doha<\/p>\n
Arab nations have asked the UN Security Council to convene an
\nurgent meeting with a view to halting the U.S.-led invasion of
\nIraq, the Arab League envoy to the world body said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Yahya al-Mahmasani, speaking to Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite
\ntelevision channel, said Arab states had asked the council to
\n\"quickly hold a meeting focussing on the U.S. and British
\ninvasion of Iraq\".<\/p>\n
Their request follows an Arab foreign ministers meeting in
\nCairo on Monday which condemned the \"U.S.-British aggression
\nagainst Iraq\" and called for \"the immediate and unconditional
\nwithdrawal of the invasion forces\". Only Kuwait failed to endorse
\nthe resolution.<\/p>\n
It was delivered in a letter to Guinean envoy Mamady Traore,
\nwhose country currently holds the council's rotating presidency.
\nMahmasani said Traore would now consult with the council's 14
\nother members.<\/p>\n
He said Arab states wanted the council to bring \"an end to the
\nconflict, a withdrawal of the invading forces and to preserve the
\nintegrity and independence of Iraq\".<\/p>\n
The Arab foreign ministers had said if the council failed to
\nact on their request, they would ask for the UN General Assembly
\nto convene instead.<\/p>\n
The Cairo resolution was a direct snub to the United States,
\nwhich issued a last minute appeal to Arab states to accept the
\ninvasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein as inevitable and
\nlook forward to a reconstruction of the country.<\/p>\n
However, Kuwait, which is hosting large numbers of U.S. troops
\ninvolved in the war, had wanted the resolution to also condemn
\nthe Iraqi missile attacks on the emirate.<\/p>",
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