CAIRO, 15 September 2004 — Arab League chief Amr Moussa said yesterday that the “gates of hell” had been opened in Iraq, as ministers gathered for a meeting set to be dominated by the war-ravaged country and an ongoing crisis over Syria’s role in Lebanon.
“The gates of hell are open in Iraq,” Moussa said in his opening speech, voicing hope that Arab foreign ministers could “help Iraq through this crisis, re-establish sovereignty throughout the country and end the American occupation.”
His comments echoed a declaration by French President Jacques Chirac, one of the most vocal opponents to the US-led war in Iraq, who compared the situation there to a Pandora’s box. During its two-day meeting, the Arab League is due to debate a draft resolution for a blanket condemnation of violence against police and civilians.
Ministers “condemn all forms of terrorism in Iraq targeting civilians, police, security force personnel and journalists, as well as diplomatic missions and humanitarian or religious groups bringing aid to the Iraqi people,” said the draft.
The draft also calls on the League’s 22 members to restore diplomatic relations with Iraq to their pre-invasion levels “in order to bolster the political efforts being exerted by the interim Iraqi government”.
Relations with Iraq’s US-backed interim government have been a divisive issue in the Arab world, with some capitals leaning toward the Iranian position of having no dealings with the unelected administration as a creature of the United States.
While Moussa’s opening speech made no mention of the ongoing diplomatic flap over the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon, a draft resolution was later adopted supporting Lebanon’s right to exercise its own choices.
The Arab League “supports Lebanon’s free will to establish and strengthen its fraternal relations, coordination and cooperation with Syria,” said a text approved by the ministers.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Jean Obeid applauded the text, telling reporters: “It is important to respect Lebanon’s political freedom and choices, and the whole council supported the Lebanese stance.”
The Text refrained from mentioning UN Security Council Resolution 1559, adopted on Sept. 2, which called for the “withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon”. Syria maintains an estimated 16,000 troops in Lebanon, a holdover from a larger contingent sent in during the 1975-1990 civil war.
