Arab League Says Iraq Belongs

Is Governing Council Legitimate?

The Arab League's secretary general said Friday that Iraq belonged in the 22-member bloc, hinting that that it might be ready to accept U.S.-backed interim Governing Council as Iraq's legitimate government.

Arab League Says Iraq Belongs in Group

Amr Moussa said the issue of whether to accept the council and let it participate in future meetings would be discussed before the next Arab League meeting begins Tuesday in Cairo.

"I leave that to the council of ministers, but Iraq is an Arab country, a member state of the Arab League and its membership has not been abolished or suspended," Moussa said on the sidelines of a conference on Lake Como.

But wait, the Governing Council was not "democratically elected."

It was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (renamed Jordan after 1946), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on May 5, 1945. The Arab League currently has 22 members and four observers. The main goal of the league is to "draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries."

Members

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Observers

Brazil, Eritrea, India, Venezuela

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