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FMs of Iraq`s neighbors end meeting with eight-point statement

IRNA

Damascus, Nov 2, IRNA -- Foreign ministers of the seven states in the 
neighborhood of Iraq ended their deliberations in Damascus late Sunday
on the Iraq situation after issuing an eight-point statement. 
Foreign ministers of Syria, Farouk as-Shara, Iran Kamal Kharrazi, 
Saudi Arabia Saud al-Feisal, Egypt Ahmed Maher, Jordan Mawan 
al-Muasher, Kuwait Mohammad Salim as-Sabah and Turkey Abdullah Gul 
attended the seven nation meeting in absence of Iraqi Foreign Minister
Hoshyar Zebari who didn`t come to Damascus for delayed invitation 
extended to him by the host country. 
The foreign ministers of the seven states condemned any attempt to
disintegrate Iraq and called on all parties in Iraq to respect the 
territorial integrity of the country. 
The statement read out by the Syrian foreign minister in presence 
of the other participants emphasized the need for the United Nations 
to undertake the role of leadership in the country and pursue 
democratic means to hand over power to the Iraqi people, draw up the 
constitution of Iraq and set a timetable for withdrawal of the 
occupying forces from the country, the prerequisite for establishment 
of national government in the country. 
The foreign ministers of Iraq`s neighboring states assigned their 
respective representatives to the United Nations to collectively work 
to activate UN role in Iraq. 
They voiced solidarity with Iraqi people in the face of the 
hardship from which they are suffering and said that they respect 
Iraqi independence and territorial integrity. 
They called for non-interference in Iraqi affairs and extensive 
efforts of the Iraqi Interim Governing Council (IGC) to establish a 
democratic government in Iraq. 
They called on the occupying forces to respect the resolutions of 
the United Nations Security Council, the international law and the 
1949 Geneva Convention in running the affairs of the country under 
occupation. 
The foreign ministers condemned the terrorist bombing in Iraq 
which claimed innocent lives and called for identifying and bringing 
to justice of those involved in such sabotage. 
"Existence of terrorist groups in Iraq is a threat to the 
neighboring countries. The Iraqi authorities are expected to remove 
the threats through cooperation with its neighbors," the statement 
said. 
The foreign ministers complained in their statement that Iraqi 
foreign minister Zebari did not fulfill his duty and did not heed the 
invitation from his Syrian counterpart and hoped that Iraq will take 
part in the upcoming meetings. 
They accepted an invitation from Kuwait to hold the fifth meeting 
of the foreign ministers in that country. 
They thanked Syria for hosting the meeting and voiced solidarity 
with Syria condemning Israeli air raid on Syrian civilian area. 
Foreign ministers of Iraq`s neighboring states held their first 
meeting in Istanbul ahead of invasion of Iraq by the coalition forces 
in April, the second meeting in Riyadh after the collapse of Saddam 
regime and the third in the context of the OIC meet in Tehran last 
June. 
215/AH/210 
End