Annan meets with head of Arab League and Iraqi official for talks on Iraq, Middle East

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today met with the head of the Arab League and a senior Iraqi official for talks on the situations in Iraq and the Middle East, according to a UN spokesman.

In his discussions with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, and Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, Mr. Annan addressed the question of the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq.

Earlier Saturday, Mr. Annan met with the Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States in order to enlist their support for the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq and to strengthen the efforts to restore peace and stability to the region, the spokesman said of that meeting.

“We meet at a critical time, as governments are discussing war and peace,” the Secretary-General said. “It’s an unsettled world and every effort must be made to avoid another major conflict.”

Mr. Annan also informed the officials that the question of the Middle East would be discussed in the meeting of the diplomatic Quartet – the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States – in the following days. He stressed the urgent need to address the very serious humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.