IRAQ: Neighboring countries want swift transitional government

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is from the Qatar News Agency (QNA)

RIYADH, Apr 19 2003 (IPS) - Countries bordering Iraq, as well as Egypt and Bahrain, meeting Friday in Saudi Arabia to discuss the future of Iraq confirmed the need for a quick withdrawal of allied forces in Iraq and allowing Iraqis to exercise their right to self-determination.

In a final communiqué at the end of the one-day meeting, the seven ministers expressed hopes for an urgent creation of a broadly represented democratic government in Iraq according to a constitution endorsed by the Iraqi people.

The ministers stressed the necessity of commitment to stability and regional integrity of an "unpartitioned" Iraq and that the Iraqi people run the administration affairs in their country. They also rejected the latest accusations against Syria and welcomed the proposed visit by US Secretary of State Colin Powell which was accepted by Damascus.

Washington accuses Syria of possessing chemical weapons and harboring members of the Iraqi regime. Damascus denies the allegations.

The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal was quoted Friday in Riyadh as condemning the US threats against Syria and said this would lead to a new cycle of violence in the Middle East.

The ministers also highlighted the UN role in the rebuilding of Iraq and providing Iraqis with humanitarian assistance as well as maintaining security in Iraq.

The meeting in Riyadh aimed to find a common position among the participants – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Iran, Bahrain and Egypt – to face the new regional situation. Neighboring governments fear that the current political and security vacuum would spiral out of control and spread, fuelling tribal and sectarian diversity in border areas.

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz met the seven foreign ministers before the meeting started in the evening.