ABU DHABI [MENL] -- Arab countries are quietly preparing for a U.S. military
campaign to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.Arab diplomatic sources said preparations can be seen in Arab countries
such as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and most of the Gulf Cooperation Council
states.
They said the Arab efforts are focusing on bolstering internal security
to deal with the prospect of pro-Saddam unrest.The sources said the fate of Saddam was a major issue in the Arab League
summit in Beirut last week. They said Arab delegates from virtually all of
the countries in attendance assessed that Washington would attack the Saddam
regime over the next six months.Jordan's King Abdullah, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and United Arab
Emirates President Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan stayed away from the Arab
League summit. Arab diplomatic sources said they were pressured to remain
absent from the meeting rather than be forced to agree to pro-Iraqi
resolutions amid a growing resignation by U.S. allies in the Middle East to
the likelihood of a U.S. attack on Saddam.
NOTE: The above is not the full item.
This service contains only a small portion of the information produced daily by Middle East Newsline. For a subscription to the full service, please contact Middle East Newsline at: editor@menewsline.com for further details.
