ARAB LEAGUE ISSUES
STATEMENT ON IRAQ

SAUDI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

November 10, 2002

The foreign ministers of the League of Arab States, meeting in Cairo, today issued a statement welcoming the United Nations Security Council resolution number 1441 on Iraq. The statement confirmed that the Security Council is the authority to assess the reports of arms inspectors, and observed that, taking into consideration the statements before the Security Council, the resolution does not form any basis for resorting to the use of military force against Iraq. The ministers called on the permanent members of the Security Council that had offered assurances to Syria, the only Arab member at the council, to respect their obligations, given that the resolution does not form a pretext for launching war against Iraq and does not contain a voluntary resort to military action.

The statement stressed that the Arab countries continue to reject absolutely any strike against Iraq, since this would threaten the national security of them all. It also called on the Security Council to put pressure on Israel to implement the UN resolutions regarding the elimination of Israel's weapons of mass destruction, which constitute a dangerous threat to Arab and international security and peace.