Iraqi envoy seated by Arab League
( 2003-09-10 14:55) (Washington Post)
Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council took a step toward international
legitimacy today when its delegate took Iraq's vacant seat at an Arab League
meeting.
The landmark decision to seat the delegate, made by Arab foreign ministers
after hours of debate, was a diplomatic victory for the council. It could also
help determine whether the delegate will be allowed to fill Iraq's seat in other
international bodies such as the United Nations and OPEC.
In a highly symbolic move, Hoshyar Zubari, the Iraqi Kurdish leader appointed
foreign minister when the council's cabinet was named Sept. 1, sat down in
Iraq's chair at the meeting of the 22-member league.
"The [Iraqi] government says: 'I want to be rid of occupation, I want to
underline the sovereignty of the Iraqi people, I want to put in place a
constitution and government,' " Ahmed Maher, the Egyptian foreign minister, told
reporters.
"We say to it: 'We believe you and we accept that you sit with us on this
basis,' " Maher said, adding that Arab states did not want Iraq to be isolated
from the Arab world.
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