Radical Iraqi Shiite cleric calls for Arab League role in Iraq

[Barrett808]

NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - A radical Shiite Muslim cleric called on the Arab League to play a role in Iraq (news - web sites) after meeting delegates from the Cairo-based body in this Shiite holy city.

"We hope there will be an Arab League role and the organization will reinforce its rejection of the American occupation," Moqtada Sadr told journalists after meeting the delegation.

"The United States is trying to subjugate Arab countries ... and after they are finished with Iraq they will turn toward others," he said.

Ahmed bin Helli, chief of the Arab delegation, said that during the meeting Sadr had spoken of the "suffering of the Iraqi people affected by shortages of fuel, water and electricity, and the political process as the country moves toward sovereignty".

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031222/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_shiites_arab&cid=1514&ncid=1480

[PackedForPerth]

1. LOL!

We hope there will be an Arab League role and the organization will reinforce its rejection of the American occupation

I'm sure they'd want that. I can't think of a single member of the Arab League that has anything that would pass for a democratic government even in bad light. :eyes:

[OrAnarch]

2. Despite such....

...and regardless of what government anyone has (because a perfect government can only be so in the proper context, a globally dynamic variable) I still firmly believe, and have for a long time, that the Arab League would be able to do, in a month's time, what we could in Iraq in 10 years. There would cease to be a ground war overnight if the military stablization and political rebuilding was ran by Arab countries rather than white english speaking targets.


But in the midst of neocon government intervention and global democratic idealism (along with coorporate intrests), we will opt out of the utilitarian solution that would truly solve the problem and opt for rebuilding Iraq in "our" vision, full of "democracy", military bases, privatization via US companies, etc.


IMHO, when lives and resoures are at stake, along with global reputation, there is far more to base actions on than the concept of forcing our form of government on other cultures for the sole purpose of economic and military strategy.