Egypt's Mubarak to Visit Saudi for Iraq Talks

25/09/2002| IslamWeb

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Abdallah Wednesday to discuss ways of averting a U.S. attack against Iraq, an Egyptian official said. "Both leaders will be trying to seek a solution to avoid a U.S. strike against Iraq, either more concessions from Iraq or a formula on a new U.N. resolution which would be acceptable to both Washington and Baghdad," he told Reuters. The official said Mubarak would also brief the crown prince on the contents of a letter he received Tuesday from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein , delivered by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri.

Iraq agreed last week to the unconditional return of U.N. arms inspectors, but the United States and Britain have stepped up pressure on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a tough new Iraq resolution before any resumption of inspections to search for and destroy Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters on Tuesday Saddam's letter stressed that Iraq's offer on weapons inspections was unconditional so the world could be sure Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass of destruction or desire to own them.

U.N. inspectors have been absent from Iraq since December 1998, when they left before a U.S.-British bombing raid designed to punish Baghdad for its alleged failure to cooperate with arms inspectors.

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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Abdallah Wednesday to discuss ways of averting a U.S. attack against Iraq, an Egyptian official said.