The draft, circulated by the Arab League secretariat, "considers the US-British attack on Iraq as an armed aggression that aims at occupying a member state of the Arab League and the United Nations, in violation of international law and the UN (United Nations) charter."

It calls for "an immediate withdrawal of US-British forces aggressing Iraq."

Diplomatic sources said it was highly unlikely that Washington's Arab allies, in particular Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, who are being used as launchpads for the invasion, would agree on the text.

At least seven foreign ministers, including Iraq's Naji Sabri, were attending the meeting of the 22-member Arab League, the first Arab gathering since the war began last Thursday.

(China Daily March 25, 2003)