we got those arab countries right where we want them

CAIRO, August 06 (Online): Arab foreign ministers ruled out a US request to send troops to stabilise Iraq at a meeting here on Tuesday and discussed ways to end its occupation, Secretary General Arab League Amr Mussa said.

"There was an agreement that (sending) Arab forces cannot be considered in the current circumstances," Mussa told reporters. "We should work to put an end to the occupation and allow the Iraqi people form a national government," he added.

Bahrain's Foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, who chaired the meeting at the 22-member Arab League headquarters, announced the set up of a seven-member committee to follow up the Iraqi issue, made up of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Syria, Qatar, Jordan and Tunisia.

An Arab official explained that the US request of sending troops was "discussed informally and struck off the agenda because there was no hope of reaching a consensus" at the meeting of ministers from 11 states and the Palestinian Authority. He said that many members considered sending troops to help the Americans would be tantamount to helping the occupation.