Arab states welcome Iraq's offer to readmit UN inspectors

IRAQ: Arab spokesmen have welcomed Iraq's unconditional offer to readmit UN weapons inspectors. "The Iraqi leadership took this important decision in response to appeals from Arab states and officials," the Arab League Secretary General, Mr Amr Mousa, stated.

The League and Arab foreign ministers, attending the opening of the United Nations General Assembly session in New York, played an important role convincing Baghdad to take this decision, Mr Mousa said. He hoped "this positive initiative will be welcomed by the international community".

Arab pressure on Iraq was dramatically boosted by Sunday's statement by the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, that Riyadh, which had refused the US use of key air bases in the kingdom for an attack on Iraq, would be compelled to co-operate with military action mandated by the UN Security Council under chapter VII which stipulates that states are permitted to use force when under threat.

"This is the beginning of a process of easing tension," the clearly relieved Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Ahmed Maher.

Mr Nabil Abu Rudainah, an aide of Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat, said Baghdad had deprived the US of justification for attack. Jordan, a strong opponent of military action, said Baghdad had made a "wise decision".

Oman's deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Badr bin Hamad al- Bousaeidi, remarked: "We have always encouraged Iraq to allow the inspectors back to avoid an attack." However, a Kuwaiti official expressed the view that the standoff with Iraq was far from over. "The issue is not as simple as [Iraq may imagine." He warned Baghdad against playing games with the inspectors as it did in the past.

Syria, which has been mentioned as a possible US target along with Iraq and Iran, agreed with the Kuwaiti assessment. The Syrian President, Dr Bashar al-Assad, urged Washington to "stop beating the drums of war" and to work with the UN. Dr Assad said US threats against Iraq had caused "chaos and turmoil in international relations" and he accused it of "going to extremes by threatening to use force and impose its decisions . . . on the rest of the world".

Dr Assad said Washington could not invoke UN measures against Iraq without putting equal pressure on Israel to comply with UN resolutions requiring it to withdraw from Arab territory occupied in 1967. Damascus radio warned that "the hawks in the US administration . . . are still promoting an aggression against Iraq".

Ordinary Arabs were not convinced that Iraq could evade US military action. In an online poll carried out by an Egyptian website, only 21 per cent of respondents said they believed the US- Iraqi dispute would be resolved peacefully while 79 per cent believed there would be a war.

Meanwhile Iraq's non-Arab neighbours, Turkey and Iran, both of which oppose US military action, adopted an upbeat view of Baghdad's decision.

A Turkish government spokesman said: "We welcome Iraq's decision. It is a step in the right direction. Our hope is that this process will be completed to enable the dispute to be resolved within the framework of the United Nations by way of close co-operation between the UN and Iraq."

While Iran's President, Mr Muhammad Khatami, urged Baghdad to carry out its obligations under UN resolutions, he stressed his country's strong opposition to a US attack on Iraq with the aim of effecting a "regime change". This would create a "dangerous precedent" in international relations.

He said powerful nations should not be permitted to attack others at will. He also accused unnamed "adventurist" world powers of manufacturing a crisis over Iraq to expand their influence in the region.