Arab League Chief Challenges U.S.

[La_Serpiente]

Arab League Chief Challenges U.S.

CAIRO, Egypt - Arabs cannot support the Bush administration's new strategy for reforming the Middle East unless the United States addresses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and restores stability in Iraq (news - web sites), the head of the Arab League said Wednesday.

Secretary-General Amr Moussa was addressing Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo to debate President Bush (news - web sites)'s "Greater Middle East Initiative" and set an agenda for the March 29-30 Arab League summit in Tunisia.

"As far as the Greater Middle East Initiative is concerned, it should not be confined to developing the societies but also to achieving stability in the region," Moussa said in his opening speech. "This stability cannot be achieved without a fair, correct and balanced treatment of the Palestinian cause and the Iraqi issue."

The Middle East initiative, modeled on the 1975 Helsinki pact that the West used to press for greater freedom and human rights in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, is aimed at the arc of countries extending from Morocco to Pakistan. It urges them to undertake major political and economic reforms, especially those that would advance women, and to guarantee human rights.

more...

Arab League Chief Challenges U.S.