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Conflict casts shadow on Arab League
The U.S.-led war on Iraq has cast a shadow over the Arab League, which for 50 years embodied the aspirations of millions of Arabs for unity but is now under fire for failing to stop the latest Gulf war. Disappointment at its failure to stop the war has sparked talk of scrapping the 22-member Or trading it in on a dog and shooting the dog... Libya this week revived a request in October to withdraw from the League, in the most overt display of frustration. Other members are said to be equally unhappy. Western diplomats in Saudi Arabia said the country was distressed at the League's ineffectiveness and Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was keen to see it reformed. "The future of the Arab League is now hanging in the balance," said Hassan Abu Taleb of Egypt's Al Ahram Centre for Strategic Studies. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak raised the need for change when he said in a speech this week that it was time to start thinking about the Arab structure to make it more effective. Arab League officials acknowledge that the body is under great pressure to change but insist it should stay in business. "I mean, we need jobs, too!" "Replacing the Arab League with another body is not easy because the League is what brought the Arabs together despite their differences and affiliations," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told reporters on Monday. He noted that other international organisations such as the United Nations, Nato and the European Union Since then, it's all been downhill... Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-04-05 |
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