U.S. allies buffeted by radical front at Arab summit

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.