Excerpts: Call for Arab unity.Iranian gunners fire on Iraqi Kurds 21 August
2007
+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 21 Aug.'07:"Kingdom Urges Arabs to Close Ranks"
QUOTE:"the welfare of the Arabs lies in
closing their ranks"
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EXCERPTS:
JEDDAH, 21 August 2007 : Saudi Arabia said yesterday that solving the
problems of the Muslim Ummah (all the people in the lands and countries
where Muslims predominate)by promoting stability, security, development and
unity is the first priority of the Kingdom's foreign policy.
"The ability of the Arab countries to counter all challenges faced by them
internally, regionally and internationally requires that they take joint
action and fulfill their commitments to the decisions and treaties made at
summit meetings," ...King Abdullah said ....
"They should also have the conviction that the welfare of the Arabs lies in
closing their ranks, not splitting away, and making their regional alliances
instrumental in fortifying their (Arab) unity instead of making it a tool
for division and consequent weakness," he added.. . .
+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 21 Aug.'07:"Iraqi Kurds Flee Villages Under Iranian
Fire",Agencies
QUOTE:"persuading Syria to drop ...its support for insurgents in Iraq"
EXCERPTS:MOUNT QANDIL, Iraq, 21 August 2007: Hundreds of Iraqi Kurds have
fled remotemountain villages near the country's eastern frontier as Iranian
gunnerstarget separatist guerrilla bases, local officials said yesterday.
"About150 families have left eight villages. We are very concerned about
thesituation in the area. If the shelling continues, we may have to declare
anemergency situation," said Hussein Ahmed, governor of Qalaa Diza
district.. . .Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
yesterdayreiterated his country's readiness to help stabilize Iraq, during a
flurryof talks with leaders of the country's bitterly divided communities.
"Franceis ready to play a role in the fight against the violence," ...
....(Iraqi Prime Minister), Maliki held talks in Damascus yesterday aimed
atpersuading Syria to drop what Baghdad sees
as its support for insurgents inIraq. ... ."There is no doubt of security
figuring highly in these talks.But we will be also discussing economic
underpinnings for our ties," saidgovernment spokesman Ali Dabbagh.Maliki,
who spent years in exile in Syria as a member of the Iraqiopposition to
Saddam, met Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otari and was due tomeet President
Bashar Assad today. An Iraqi official, who declined to benamed, said Maliki
would urge Bashar to take measures to stop an allegedflow of fighters and
weapons across the border. Syria agreed during themeeting to participate in
an intelligence network to help the US-backedIraqi government counter the
rebels and stop cross-border movement offighters and arms.
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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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