U.S. allies buffeted by radical front at Arab summit
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, October 23, 2000
CAIRO — Arab leaders aligned with the United States have maintained
control of the summit and prevented a move to sever relations with Israel.
The Arab League summit pitted a pro-U.S. coalition led by Egypt, Kuwait,
Morocco and Saudi Arabia against a radical front of Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and
Syria. Fifteen of the 22 leaders of the Arab League attended the summit.
Still, the efforts at the summit to prevent war has not stopped Iraq.
Western intelligence sources said a force that consists of several Iraqi
divisions has arrived near the Jordanian border, Middle East Newsline reported.
At one point, Libyan delegates walked out of the summit in protest of
the pro-U.S. line. "The summit does not include a clear condemnation of
Israel, or at least propose cutting diplomatic relations, which is the
minimum that can be done at such a focal point," the Libyan delegation said
in a statement. "While our Palestinian brothers are still dying every day,
and Arab public opinion remains enraged by the Israeli activities, the Arab
leadership is passive and quiet."
Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed. "All kinds of cooperation with
Israel should be stopped and the boycott should be reactivated," Assad said.
Arab diplomatic sources said a draft communique issued Sunday
remains vague on future relations with Israel as well as the prospect of
imposing sanctions on the country. They said Egypt and Jordan will be
allowed to maintain diplomatic relations with Israel while commercial ties
are to be severed. This includes the recalling of the envoys of such
countries as Oman, Qatar and Tunisia, which maintain trade envoys in Tel
Aviv. Tunisia has already declared that it is closing its commercial office
in Tel Aviv.
The sources said the Clinton administration was in constant contact with
Egypt and Saudi Arabia to ensure that peace efforts with Israel would
continue. This included telephone calls from Clinton to Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Mubarak and his colleagues blamed Israel for the current mini-war with
the Palestinian Authority. They accused Israel of torpedoing peace efforts
led by the United States.
But Mubarak's bottom line was that the Arabs would not cut ties with
Israel or end negotiations with the Jewish state. Mubarak warned against
"surrendering to our emotions or "indulging in sensational
attitudes."
"Our people is yearning for a new phase where we can compensate for what
they have lost in times of war, violence and instability," Mubarak said. "We
must as people who have rights continue on the long road toward our
legitimate rights and let no passing provocation veer us from it, because
right in the end is what triumphs."
Arafat did not dispute Mubarak, his closest ally. "Our choice is the
choice of permanent, just and comprehensive peace," Arafat said. "Our aim is
to liberate our land, establish our independent state with Jerusalem as its
capital and the return of refugees."
The summit communique is expected to contain a demand for an
international tribunal to investigate what it termed war crimes committed by
Israel and prosecute those responsible.
Palestinian envoys urged oil-rich Arab states to threaten a cutoff of
fuel to Western and other countries which fail to support the Palestinian
cause. But the Gulf countries, led by Kuwait, rebuffed the attempt. The
United States has appealed to OPEC to lower oil prices.
Instead, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah called on Arab leaders to donate $1
billion to help the Palestinians and maintain the Arab and Muslim presence
in Jerusalem. Abdullah said Riyad would donate 25 percent of the money.