THE ARAB LEAGUE

Here are some facts on the Arab League and its members’ positions on the Iraq-Kuwait controversy.

HISTORY: The Arab League was founded in 1945. Summit conferences as an instrument of policy began in 1964. Because of frequent inter-Arab bickering, there have been more emergency summits than regular ones.

MEMBERSHIP: The league has 21 members (there were 22 until May, when Yemen and South Yemen merged into the single nation of Yemen). They are Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

STANCE ON IRAQ-KUWAIT CRISIS: Member foreign ministers, meeting as the Arab League Council, met in Cairo Aug. 3 to consider Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Fourteen members voted for a resolution condemning the invasion and urging immediate Iraqi withdrawal and restoration of the overthrown Kuwait government.

The 14 were Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia and the UAE.

Against were Jordan, the PLO, Sudan and Yemen. Iraq and Kuwait had no right to vote on the issue. Libya was absent. Those opposed argued that condemnation of Iraq would undermine Arab efforts to achieve a peaceful solution.

Despite that dissent, the league accepted Egypt’s call for an emergency summit of Arab chiefs of state and government to be held in Cairo. Libya also accepted.

EMERGENCY SUMMIT: Originally scheduled for Thursday, the summit was postponed until today because some Arab leaders did not arrive in time.

Source: Times wire services.