CAIRO Ñ Arab League foreign ministers are expected to discuss a
proposal for the abdication of the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The foreign ministers include Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, who
drove from Baghdad to Syria and then flew to Cairo. Sabri is the first
senior Iraqi official to have appeared in the capital of a U.S. ally since
the start of the war.
"We are not able to do more than we have done," Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak said.
Foreign ministers began informal talks on late Sunday amid deep
divisions regarding the future of Iraq, Middle East Newsline reported. On Sunday, Jordan expelled five
Iraqi diplomats, becoming the first Arab League member to do so.
"We have helped Jordan all the time and provided generous assistance to
it," Sabri said. "This is regrettable."
Several countries, such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, insist that Saddam must surrender power to ensure the end of the
war.
Arab diplomatic sources said the meeting is not expected to reach any
significant agreement. But the sources said Arab countries feel they must
demonstrate efforts to end the U.S.-led war amid the violent pro-Iraqi
demonstrations in most Arab capitals. A large anti-U.S. demonstration was
held as Arab foreign ministers met.
Several regimes have cracked down on opposition movements. In Jordan,
Islamic opposition and union leaders have been arrested on suspicion of
fomenting massive anti-U.S. demonstrations over the weekend.
In Sanaa, Yemeni authorities arrested four opposition leaders in the
wake of bloody riots on Friday. Those arrested included Islamic and leftist
politicians.