Thu Nov 21,10:16 AM ET

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer

DAMASCUS, Syria - Arab foreign ministers called on the United States Thursday to stop threatening Iraq and let U.N. weapons inspectors do their job, saying that a U.N. disarmament resolution does not authorize military action against Baghdad.

"The Arab states asserted that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 does not give the right to carry out military action against Iraq," said a statement issued at the end of a two-day meeting in the Syrian capital Damascus.

"The ministers stress the necessity of halting the threats aimed at Iraq so that international inspectors can fulfill their work of implementing the missions entrusted to them by the Security Council in an appropriate climate," the statement said.

The statement did not refer to the United States by name.

U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) has warned Iraq to cooperate fully with the U.N. inspectors or face a possible U.S. military attack. Washington also has been building up its military forces in the region and lobbying allies and friends for support.

Asked at a closing news conference about U.S. threats against Iraq, Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud said that the U.N. resolution placed the Iraq crisis in the framework of the United Nations (news - web sites).

"There may be a lot of talk, but one thing for sure there cannot be any movement except through Resolution 1441," he said.

Hammoud, however, appeared resigned to the fact that Washington can strike anytime. "What can stop the United States from striking at Iraq whether before, now or after the resolution?" he asked.

Hammoud said earlier that Arab governments would press the United Nations to appoint Arabs to the teams of inspectors searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. He said Lebanon and the Arab League have begun drawing up lists of possible inspectors to present to the United Nations.

"Not only do we hope and wish, we also will work so that (Arabs) will be among the inspectors," said Hammoud, who chaired the meeting of league foreign ministers convened to discuss the U.S.-Iraq dispute and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Hammoud has earlier said that Arab states were "watching closely" the work of the inspectors, who returned to Iraq on Monday for the first time in four years.

The chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has said the United Nations has trained six Jordanians and one Moroccan as inspectors. But it is not known if these Arabs will take part in the inspections, which are scheduled to begin Nov. 27.

Mohamed ElBaradei, who oversees the International Atomic Energy Agency which is searching for nuclear weapons in Iraq, is Egyptian.

Thursday's statement also pledged Arab commitment to fighting terrorism and said Arab countries would consult with the international community over the "explosive and serious situation resulting from Israel's occupation" of Arab lands.

Earlier Thursday, League Secretary General Amr Moussa urged Arab governments to forge a joint policy to tackle what he called "an extremely deteriorating situation" in the Middle East.

The Damascus meeting was originally scheduled to bring together 10 ministers, but the number later expanded to 13 of the league's 22 members. The ministers came from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, Oman, Libya, Syria and the Palestinians

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2002