By Hani Bishr, IOL Correspondent

CAIRO, December 20 (IslamOnline) - European, U.S., and Arab anti-war activists, meeting in Cairo, demanded Thursday, December 19, sending human shields to Iraq in case of a U.S. attack on the country, as well as volunteer teams to monitor the UN arms inspection operations in Iraq.

A committee was also formed to follow up the suggestions of the conference . It included figures from different world countries, such as George Galloway, senior vice chairman at the British Parliamentary Labor Party, former UN coordinators in Iraq, Dennis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck, as well as Fadia Rafidy, a law student from Yale University.

Among the 160 participants in the International Campaign Against U.S. Aggression on Iraq (ICAA), hosted by Cairo on December 18-19, was former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella.

A statement, entitled the "Cairo Declaration against U.S. hegemony and the war on Iraq, and in support of Palestine," issued by the participants said the two-day gathering was a starting point for an international popular effort to resist U.S. plans to attack Iraq.

Speaking to IslamOnline, Amin Eskander, one of the organizers and Egypt's representative in the committee, said that this committee will give Arab activists the chance to meet and coordinate with international anti-war and anti-globalization activists.

The committee's legitimacy comes from the campaign itself as well as from the important  international figures who attended the conference, he added.

This committee will be continuously in a state of emergency, Ben Bella said, adding that its first meeting was to take place Friday, December 20.

Ben Bella demanded the Arabs to organize at least a 2 million people demonstration to show their position refusing any attack on Iraq. 

The campaign was organized by popular bodies, grouping writers, artists, university professors, public figures, representatives of different political orientations, business people, professionals and syndicate unions.

Representatives from several foreign countries including the U.S., Britain, Russia, Italy, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Canada and France are taking part in the pro-Iraq conference.