Arab foreign ministers could not agree Sunday on whether to hold an emergency summit on the Iraqi crisis, spending most of the day disputing whether Washington or Baghdad should do more to avert a possible war. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said after the meeting that the ministers decided to continue talks on convening a summit, which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called for on Friday.

"This is not a disagreement. We only need more consultations to set a date that is more convenient to all," Moussa said during a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud.

The failure to agree on staging a summit highlights the discord among Arab states over what approach countries in the region should take to prevent the United States from attacking Iraq over claims Baghdad possesses banned weapons of mass destruction. Iraq says it has no such arms.

The foreign ministers representing the league's 22 members were split over what message a summit should deliver, an Arab diplomat told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

One camp, led by Syria, believes a summit only should be held to send a "strong message to the United States" reflecting Arab opposition to war in Iraq and U.S. policies in the region, the diplomat said.

"If it is a summit that's going to say no to war ... then let it be," said Syria's ambassador to the Arab League, Youssef al-Ahmed. "But if it's a meaningless summit, it will be a disaster for the Arab nations."

Others wanted a summit so a pan-Arab message could be sent to Saddam Hussein urging him to cooperate with international inspectors searching Iraq for weapons that Baghdad was ordered to destroy under U.N. agreements, the diplomat said.

All the Arab states except Kuwait endorsed a resolution agreeing to "refrain from offering any assistance or facilities to any military operation that might threaten the security, safety and territorial integrity of Iraq."

Moussa did not elaborate on whether this meant American forces would be allowed to use military bases in the Gulf region.
Hammoud, the Lebanese minister, said Kuwait, which hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops and fears Iraqi reprisals for supporting American preparations to attack Baghdad, opposed this part of the resolution.

Several other Gulf States, including Qatar and Bahrain, are also allowing America to use their bases for troop buildups.

The resolution also said "resorting to the option of war is evidence ... of the impotence of the (United Nations) Security Council from carrying its mission and its inability to carry out its duties in maintaining international peace and security."

Moussa said he would join Lebanese and Egyptian officials in forming a committee to contact Arab states about staging an emergency summit later.

Asked if the Iraqi delegation was satisfied with the Arab League meeting's resolution, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said, "We will leave that for the Arab peoples to judge."

Earlier Sunday, Sabri said Iraq wanted Arab states to do more to avert war.

"We are satisfied with the public's position, but so far Arabs have not crystallized an official position," he said.

Sabri also met with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who told the Iraqi official that war can be avoided if Baghdad "openly and reliably" answers questions posed by the chief U.N. weapons inspectors.

"I stressed that he (Saddam) must understand that there is a chance through the United Nations to solve this problem peacefully," Papandreou told reporters.

All Arab states have spoken out against an attack on Iraq yet appear resigned to the possibility. Some Arab officials have indicated they would not object to a war under U.N. auspices, but all reject a U.S.-led war without U.N. approval.

Though America and Britain had hoped to push through a U.N. Security Council resolution giving them backing for military action, those plans were put on hold Friday because of opposition by France, Russia and China.

PHOTO CAPTION

Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, wipes his eyes during the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003. (AP Photo/Mohamad al-S