Arab diplomacy is stepping up its efforts on Iraq and Palestine. Dina Ezzat reports For the first time since the fall of Baghdad, the Arab League is sending a delegation to Iraq to meet with the many representatives of the different Iraqi political powers, tribes and religious groupings. The team that is likely to be composed of two diplomats of the secretariat of the Arab League will be flying to the Iraqi capital within a few weeks. The mission of this small delegation, Arab League sources say, is simple. "We want to make sure that Arab diplomacy is not cut off from developments in Iraq. We want to make sure that we are well aware of the developments as they happen on the ground, to be able to help those groups who want to take things in the right direction," commented one Arab League source. The Arab League delegation will also be in charge of proposing concrete steps that the Arab organisation and concerned Arab capitals can take to induce a sense of stability, no matter how fragile, in Iraq. "We have to be realistic. The situation in Iraq is very serious. It will not simply improve by itself. Someone has to work on containing the chaos there. This is in the interest of Arab countries," said one Arab diplomat. "We cannot simply ignore the situation and leave it for the Americans to sort things out," he said. The move taken by the League is in response to requests made to Secretary-General Amr Moussa by Iraqi delegations that have been visiting his Cairo headquarters with increasing frequency. "There is a serious concern on the part of some Iraqi political figures that things are moving in the wrong direction in Iraq. There is a fear that inter-Iraqi differences are on the increase, especially when it comes to administering Iraqi relations with the US," said a senior Arab League official. According to this official, "it is the responsibility of the Arab League to move towards containing the situation before it is too late. We can see and hear signs of a possible civil war in Iraq. We cannot wait to let that happen," he said. But the agenda of the Arab League on Iraq goes far beyond security. In the words of the secretary-general, it is "a miscalculation to reduce the current problem in Iraq to one of security. There are serious strategic concerns that have to be addressed if we are serious about improving the situation in Iraq," Moussa said earlier this week. During the past few days, Moussa held two consecutive meetings with a delegation from the Iraqi Interim Governing Council and Iraqi political figures who are seeking to establish an all-inclusive national congress. During the meetings, Secretary-General Moussa heard repeatedly concerns expressed about the exclusively security-based approach adopted by the Americans, and the need for the international community in general, and Arab countries in particular, to step in. Stepping in -- one way or another -- to better direct the situation in Iraq is the crux of the agenda of a sub-regional meeting that will open on Saturday in Damascus. The meeting will be attended by high officials from Syria, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan, along with Egypt, and will discuss Arab proposals for a greater Arab involvement in Iraq with the aim of restoring stability and popular sovereignty to Iraqis. In the wake of this meeting, Arab capitals and the Arab League aim to agree on a plan of joint action on Iraq. "Arab countries are already attempting to contribute to the efforts stabilising the situation in Iraq. They have already pledged some funds in the Madrid donors' conference, but what they need to do goes beyond paying money," argued one Iraqi figure. Increased Arab input, both financially and politically, is also being requested on the Palestinian front. Speaking to Al-Ahram Weekly on background, Palestinian sources indicated "a sense of frustration on the part of the Palestinian leadership" over the collective support, or lack thereof, demonstrated by Arab countries towards the Palestinian people in their current plight. "We sometimes feel as if what is going on in Palestine does not matter very much to the Arab states," said one source. A similar view has been expressed by European sources who have complained about Arab laxity when it comes to developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "At times it seems as if Arabs have decided to let the situation be until either the Israeli prime minister or the Palestinian president is out of the picture," commented one European diplomat who recently visited Cairo. "The situation in the Palestinian territories requires serious efforts. The European Union is willing to work closely with the Arab League on this matter," said Roman Prodi, president of the European Union Commission. The nature and scope of collective Arab involvement in the Palestinian issue has recently been confined to the networking conducted by Arab ambassadors in New York to garner support for resolutions proposed to the UN Security Council and General Assembly. "This is an important effort but we believe that our brothers can and should do more," commented Mohamed Sobeih, the Palestinian permanent representative to the Arab League. The nature and scope of potential collective Arab efforts to support the Palestinians was subject to discussion earlier this week in a meeting between Secretary-General Moussa and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. Sources close to the meeting suggest that Qurei stressed the role of Arab countries and the Arab League in securing good inter-Palestinian relations during this very sensitive time. According to one source, Qurei praised Egypt's intensive efforts to secure the support of all Palestinian factions for a new truce between Palestinians and Israelis, but added that other Arab countries and the Arab League should do more to support this initiative. He added that Qurei's message was very simple: Arab support now is more vital than ever to help the Palestinians cope with Israeli aggression, American indifference, and their own internal, sometimes disparate agendas.
