Arabs Dismiss Bin Laden Appeal, Syria Rips U.S.

10/05/2001| IslamWeb

DAMASCUS (Islamweb & News Agencies) - The head of the 22-nation Arab League Sunday dismissed an appeal by Osama bin Laden to Muslims to join a holy war against the West, saying the Saudi militant did not speak for the world's Arabs and Muslims.Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, also rejected the appeal, saying the world was united against bin Laden.
``There is a war between bin Laden and the whole world,'' Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher told reporters ahead of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Syria when asked about bin Laden's appeal.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, himself Egyptian foreign minister before taking up the Arab League post earlier this year, echoed Maher's comments, saying: ``Bin Laden doesn't speak in the name of Arabs and Muslims.''
But Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara, in his address to the opening session of the meeting of the ministers, blasted the United States for its ``unlimited'' support to Israel.
The ministers issued recommendations after the meeting calling for Arab financial support to Palestinians to be extended to the first six months of next year.
An Arab summit had promised Palestinians monthly payments of tens of millions of dollars in 2001 to help them tackle hardships from a 13-month old revolt against Israeli occupation.
The ministers also called for a ``concrete initiative'' by the United States and its allies to revive Middle East peacemaking.