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"The
UAE initiative was not tabled at the gathering and Qatar did not
meddle between the UAE and Iraq," said Sheikh Hamad
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DOHA,
March 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The Islamic nations on
Wednesday, March 5, stressed they "totally rejected" the
looming U.S. aggression on Iraq, vowing not to take part in any
offensives against Arab or Muslim nations.
Concluding
their extraordinary summit, Muslim leaders declared "their total
rejection of any strike on Iraq and any threat to the security of any
Islamic state."
A
statement issued by the leaders of the 57-member Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) called on Muslim countries to "refrain
from taking part in any military action targeting the security and
territorial integrity of Iraq or any Muslim nation."
The
declaration had to satisfy Iraq, Kuwait and summit host and current OIC
chairman Qatar which is expected to serve as the command center of the
anticipated U.S. military campaign, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
But
the statement came against a backdrop of intensive U.S. build-up in the
Gulf region where there are 300 troops mobilized for the seemingly
inevitable war.
In
Kuwait, nearly 140,000 U.S. and British troops have already deployed in
preparation for the possible invasion to oust Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein and.
UAE
Initiative Excluded
Referring
to U.S. threats to topple Saddam and reshape the Middle East, the
Islamic leaders said they opposed "any attempts to impose change in
the region and interfere in its internal affairs."
They
echoed the same stance of the Arab summit, hosted by the Egyptian Red
Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, which topped its final
communiqué by the assertion that "the affairs of the Arab
region countries and means to develop the system of ruling within them
is a matter only decided by Arab countries."
The
OIC stance also seemed to come in response to the United Arab Emirates
plan calling on Saddam to step down and leave the country within six
weeks' time to avert war.
The
proposal
calls for a temporary U.N. and Arab League tutelage, provided that
"judicial guarantees, binding on both international and national
levels, to be given to the Iraqi leadership to make sure that it won't
be prosecuted."
Qatari
Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem said in a press conference
after the end of the summit that "the UAE initiative was not tabled
at the gathering and Qatar did not meddle between the UAE and
Iraq."
Head
of the Iraqi delegation Ezzat Ibrahim met on the sidelines of the summit
with UAE officials and the initiative was reportedly discussed.
Sheikh
Hamad was on hand during the talks, which lasted around 15 minutes.
More
Time to Inspectors
The
OIC welcomed Baghdad's cooperation with U.N. arms inspectors and backed
calls for the inspectors to be allowed to continue their work and for
diplomatic efforts to be given a chance to resolve the standoff.
The
Iraq crisis "should be resolved by peaceful means within the
context of the United Nations," the statement said.
It
urged Iraq in turn to "reaffirm its respect for the independence
and sovereignty of Kuwait" within its internationally recognized
borders and called for an end to the trading of accusations between the
two sides.
Ezzat
was involved in
a public row with the Kuwaiti delegation during the summit when he
hurled insults at Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah
al-Sabah, accusing Kuwaiti leaders of "plotting with Zionism
against Iraq."
Israel
Must End "Aggressions"
The
OIC statement urged the Middle East Quartet Committee to act swiftly to
end Israel's "aggressions" against the Palestinians and
reaffirmed support for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
"The
international community, particularly the quartet, must act quickly to
halt Israel's aggression against the Palestinians," said the
leaders in their statement.
The
quartet comprises the United States, the European Union, Russia and the
United Nations.
The
statement also called on the United Nations to force Israel to "end
its aggression against the Palestinian people" and provide them
with international protection.
Underscoring
"the importance of Al-Quds" for the world's one billion-plus
Muslims, the statement expressed support for the Palestinians and
"their legitimate leadership headed by ... Arafat" in their
struggle to regain their usurped rights.
In
a recorded video message from his besieged headquarters in Ramallah,
Arafat earlier added his voice to calls for a peaceful resolution of the
Iraqi crisis.
"We
support all regional and international efforts to reach a peaceful
solution within the framework of the United Nations," Arafat told
the one-day gathering.
He
explained at length the deteriorating situation in the occupied
Palestinian territories and accused the Israeli government of
"seeking to torpedo the peace process."
Arafat
called on the summit "to step up material and political
support" to the Palestinians.
The
Palestinian leader has been blocked in his Ramallah headquarters for
months and was prevented by Israeli occupation forces from leaving the
building.
