Iraq Refuses To Endorse Arab Summit's Statement Due To Lack Of Condemnation Of Iraqi Terrorism

All I can say is... Good For Them! Considering that the Iraqi delegation to the Arab summit in Damascus is just a fledging one, they stood up to the rest of the Arab countries over a statement prepared out of the summit's negotiations. Here's what the Iraqi Vice President said:

"I express reservations on the text because this is not what we have agreed upon (in closed door meetings) "
Abdul-Mahdi said after the statement had been read. "It does not include the efforts of the Iraqi government for national reconciliation and it does not condemn terrorism and violence."

And to understand just why the Iraqis are upset and would take this risk to stand up against the powerful summit, you need to know what the statement was. Here is that Arab summit statement:

In the final statement, known as the Damascus Declaration, the leaders called for their "Iraqi brothers to stop bloodshed immediately and preserve the lives of innocent citizens. " They called for maintaining Iraqi unity and a hastening of the "end of the foreign presence" in Iraq.

See? It's plain as day that the Arabs don't care about the Iraqi people, they care nothing about anything but the "end of the foreign presence." Now, I'm sure you had some members of the Arab summit, such as Syria, who simply wanted to communicate that they want the U.S. and coalition members out of Iraq, no matter what. And their are probably others like Egypt and Saudi Arabia who simply don't want to stir up al Qaeda or the Iranians by telling it like it really is regarding the terrorism and Iranian meddling in the country.

Here's the full story from PR-inside.

Iraq refuses to endorse Arab summit statement for failing to condemn terrorism in the country

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Iraq refused on Sunday to endorse the final declaration of the Arab summit here because it does not condemn terrorism in the war-torn country and demanded the text be changed.Shiite Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi told the gathered leaders at the summit's closing session that Iraq has reservations over the statement
because of the lack of a terror condemnation.

The Iraqi delegation afterward pressed the league to change the text or they would declare a boycott of the summit, an Arab diplomat told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were closed-door.The Iraqi move underlines the Shiite and Kurd-led Iraqi government's longtime accusation that Sunni-led Arab governments have not taken a strong enough stance against Sunni Arab fighters who made up the backbone of Iraq's insurgency.

Earlier Sunday, Abdul-Mahdi reiterated Iraqi complaints over foreign militants entering Iraq to join the insurgency _ though he did not specify Syria, through which many of the militants pass.«The Iraqi people are waging a fierce battle against terrorism and various forms of violence ... from the recruitment of terrorists from inside and outside the borders,» Abdul-Mahdi said.In the final statement, known as the Damascus Declaration, the leaders called for their «Iraqi brothers to stop bloodshed immediately and preserve the lives of innocent citizens.They called for maintaining Iraqi unity and a hastening of the «end of the foreign presence» in Iraq.

Syrian President Bashar Assad agreed to register the reservations, and the remaining 20 Arab League members present endorsed the declaration.That would normally mean the measure was passed, but it was not immediately clear if the declaration would be amended to reflect the Iraqi concerns.