|
Cleric wants 'Axis of the Good'
05/08/2007 16:13 - (SA)
Beirut - Lebanon's most senior Shi'ite Muslim cleric on Sunday called on Arabs and Muslims to form an "Axis of the Good" to counter US policies in the Middle East.
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah's criticised a Mideast peace conference proposed by US President George W Bush for later this year, saying: "Palestinians and Arabs will only get promises from it." according
He also criticised some Arab governments that have good relations with the US.
"We see that there is an a clear and dangerous attempt to change the type of conflict in the region from a conflict between the Arabs and the Zionist entity into an Arab-Islamic conflict or an Arab-Iranian conflict," Fadlallah said.
"We call for setting up an Axis of the Good that should include Arab and Muslim people," Fadlallah said. "It is not enough to talk about the American project aiming to divide the region."
In 2002, US Bush labelled Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, as an "axis of evil".
Fadlallah added that Arab states decided in their previous summits not to show that they want to go to war with Israel and "not to use their American-made weapons in an armed conflict with Israel". The black-turbaned cleric said Arab states are helping US and British arms companies by buying weapons they produce.
The US plans to extend its aid commitment to Egypt for 10 years and sell Saudi Arabia an estimated $20bn of sophisticated weaponry, including advanced air systems that would greatly enhance the striking ability of Saudi warplanes.
- AP
|
News
