Arab League Doesn’t Recognize Iraq’s Council

"The council is a start, but it should pave the way for a legitimate government that can be recognized," league Secretary-General Amr Moussa said after a committee of foreign ministers met to forge a unified stance on how to deal with Iraq.

The Iraqi Governing Council did not send representatives to Tuesday’s meeting in Cairo.

In Cairo Tuesday, Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak, said Arab countries will work to help Iraqis restore "sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity." According to AP, the Bahraini minister said Arab countries still want to take part in lucrative reconstruction projects in Iraq.

Annan Wants to Internationalize Occupation

Meanwhile, Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to recognize the Iraqi Governing Council as a step toward the formation of a true government.

Annan said the Security Council should establish a U.N. mission in Iraq and he chided the members for failing to say anything about the 25-member Governing Council after three of its members addressed a Security Council meeting on July 22.