U.N. Envoy Asks Arabs to Help End Deadlock

[maddezmom]

KHARTOUM, Sudan - A top U.N. envoy urged Iraq's Arab neighbors on Sunday to work together to end the country's political deadlock, while Iraqi and other Arab leaders squabbled over the role of Iran.

"Neighboring countries and the region are responsible for sending a clear message to the Iraqi people that they are supporting the political process in Iraq," Ashraf Qazi, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy in Iraq, told Arab foreign ministers.

The ministers were in Sudan's capital to prepare for a summit of Arab leaders Monday and Tuesday that aims to tackle a string of major issues, including violence in Iraq and the Palestinians' formation of a new government led by the Islamic militant Hamas movement.

Qazi said he hoped the summit would prove a turning point in supporting the political process in Iraq, saying Arab leaders "should send a strong message to the Iraqis that their brethren stand beside them and respect the diversity of the Iraqi people."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060326/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arab_summit_iraq_1