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Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri on Tuesday unveiled high-level contacts between Iraq and the United States aimed at averting a war on Iraq, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.
Sabri disclosed the contacts on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit, which ended in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, earlier in the day, MENA said.
Sabri, however, did not elaborate on the nature of the contacts, it added.
"Arabs could avert a war by unanimously declaring their rejection of war," Sabri was quoted as saying.
He also reiterated that Iraq does not hide any weapons of mass destruction, saying such weapons are in Israel, not in Iraq.
Sabri is expected to kick off a visit to Egypt in the next two days for talks on ways to solve the Iraqi crisis peacefully, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters here on Tuesday.
Sabri's visit to Egypt will precede an Arab summit to be held at Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on March 1, which is believed to focus on the Iraqi standoff.
The United States has accused Iraq of hiding and secretly developing banned weapons as well as having linkage with the al-Qaeda terror network, and vowed to disarm Iraq by force if necessary. Iraq strongly denies the US allegation.
A US-led war on Iraq looms large as the United States has stepped up its military buildup in the Gulf region.
(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2003)
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