Iraq’s Neighbors Meet on Avoiding War

Mubarak said the delegates would be asking Iraq to comply with U.N. weapons resolutions and "we are … asking inspectors to do their work in an honest and impartial way."
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said in an interview that "peace could still be salvaged. War could still be prevented."
To achieve peace, Yakis said, Iraq had to be more "proactive" with U.N. weapons inspectors, adding that Baghdad could guide them to weapons sites in an effort to show that Iraq is not a threat.
Turkish and Arab diplomats have stressed that the delegates will not call for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to step down and go into exile as a way of avoiding war.
"Such issues are not on our agenda," Yakis said. "We do not consider it appropriate for a state to develop such scenarios for another state."
But Iraqi opposition leaders said any solution short of Saddam’s removal was unacceptable.
"If the regional countries are able to persuade him to disarm and comply with the U.N. resolution, that’s fine. But it’s also Saddam’s oppression that we are concerned about," said Hamid el-Bayati, of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq in a telephone interview from London.
He said Saddam’s exile may be on the table even if the participating countries deny it. "We know that some Arab countries raised the issue with Saddam himself," said el-Bayati. He said the subject was first raised by Qatar’s foreign minister in a recent meeting with the Iraqi leader where Saudi officials were also present.
Sharif Ali, another Iraqi opposition leader based in London, said Saddam’s possession of weapons of mass destruction was not the only point of contention with the Iraqi people, but also his oppressive rule.
He said the Iraqi opposition would reluctantly accept a solution whereby Saddam goes into exile without fear of prosecution – "to avoid bloodshed."
A regional meeting, four days ahead of a deadline when U.N. inspectors report to the Security Council on Iraq’s cooperation, reflects the deep reticence in the region to support a U.S.-led war.
Turkey fears that a war would destabilize the region and harm the country’s fragile economic recovery. Polls show that more than 80 percent of the Turkish public opposes a war.
The United States is asking to base tens of thousands of soldiers in Turkey to open a northern front against Iraq. Turkish leaders have been hesitant to approve any deployment and have suggested that the United States scale back its request. The NATO military commander, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, is expected in Turkey on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said Wednesday that he was skeptical that the Security Council would easily endorse a resolution for a military attack against Iraq, but said the Baghdad government "has to give in to international regulations."
Ministers at the Thursday meeting are expected to adopt a joint statement that would call on Iraq to fully cooperate with the inspectors.
The meeting is expected to be followed by another regional gathering in Damascus, Turkish diplomats said. No date has been set for that meeting.