Foreign forces key issue

Chief of the Arab League Amr Mousa yesterday said that ending the "presence of foreign troops" in Iraq had to be part of any formula on resolving the Iraq crisis.

"We feel worried over the current situation in Iraq," he said upon his arrival in this Egyptian resort town to attend an international conference on Iraq. "The political process should be maintained to keep Iraq's territorial integrity and its people's security."

Asked on his expectations for the meeting, Mousa said: "This will depend on discussions and contacts. We still have some time to consult and reach an agreement on a specific stand."

The writer is an Arab journalist based in Cairo