Arab summit ends in failure

AMMAN — Arab leaders ended their brief summit unable to agree on the future of international sanctions on Iraq.

The Arab League summit ended on Wednesday afternoon after members couldn't agree on a resolution regarding United Nations sanctions on Baghdad and its relations with neighboring Kuwait. The dispute pitted Iraq and its supporters against Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The summit, which began on Tuesday, broke up shortly after Iraq rejected a draft resolution that called for an end to sanctions but also called on Iraq to honor all UN resolutions. These included resolutions against the development of weapons of mass destruction and aggression against Kuwait.

The dispute delayed the convening of the summit on Wednesday. After a brief session, the summit was concluded and Arab leaders left Amman.

Arab leaders agreed to increase financial support for the Palestinans and implement previous pledges. The Palestinian Authority has complained that only a small portion of the $1 billion pledged by the league has been transferred to the regime led by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The Arab League has 22 members.

In the opening address, Jordan's King Abdullah called on the international community to lift sanctions from Iraq. Abdullah said the Iraqi people have suffered under the sanctions.

A draft resolution presented to Arab leaders urged the UN Security Council to lift sanctions on Baghdad's calls for the resumption of Iraqi commercial flights.

The resolution did not call for unilateral Arab measures.

Diplomatic sources said the draft resolution had been held up by disputes over language rather than substance. They said the four-point draft addressed suspected Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The resolution did not contain Kuwait's demand for an apology for Iraq's invasion and occupation of the sheikdom in 1990.

Kuwait has endorsed the draft, but Iraq has withheld approval. The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily reported on Tuesday that if Arab leaders could not agree on the Iraq issue then the issue could be postponed until the next summit scheduled for next year.

Arab League foreign ministers earlier tried to put their best face on the dispute. "There are no points of disagreement," Algerian Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz Belkhadem said. "They are merely different approaches which we are trying to reconcile."

Arab League foreign ministers did agree on issues that concern the Israeli-Palestinian mini-war. This included supporting an Iraqi effort to provide the Palestinians with about $900 million. The Iraqi plan requires UN approval.

In his speech at the summit, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said the Israeli government is helping Jewish settlers attack the Palestinians. Clutching what he described was a U.S. report, Arafat accused the Israeli military of using uranium-depleted shells against Palestinians.

In Washington, the Bush administration held talks on Monday with visiting French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. Officials said Vedrine was briefed on a plan that would deploy UN personnel along the Iraqi border and at key foreign airports to ensure that Baghdad does not import military systems.

"The Middle East was high on our agenda," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said after meeting Vedrine. "In that regard, we agree that Iraq must honor its UN obligations. The foreign minister and I discussed how we can ensure that the UN sanctions are targeted at the Iraqi regime's attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction while sparing the people of Iraq from any suffering."

U.S. officials said that under the administration's plan those countries that cooperate with the UN would be allowed to buy Iraqi oil at discounted prices. The provision is meant to obtain the cooperation of Jordan, Syria and Turkey.

U.S. officials said the administration's plan of smart sanctions would be submitted to the UN in June.