Regional Summit for Peace

Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria

The members of the Regional Summit for peaceful solution of the Iraq crisis.
Jan. 23, 2003, Istanbul, Turkey
(composite photo of the organizational tour by A. Gul, Jan. 4-11)
(L-to-R): Abdullah Gul, Prime minister of Turkey (the initiator of the peace movement), King Abdullah of Jordan, President Hatemi of Iran, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, Hosni Mobarak, President of Egypt, and a representative for Assad of Syria

USA and UK expressed hope in the process. Russia and EU leaders also expressed their backing. Don Rumsfeld said "I'd be tickled to death if this works."

Although various analysts/commentators still express their doubts that this could actually "work," it has already started a wave of governments talking peace--that, in itself, is a success. For example, UN inspectors announced that Iraq has agreed to ten new concessions, which UN had been asking them to make (such as private interviews of scientits) for a long time. UN Secretary General Annan called Gul to thank for the initiative. EU leaders also called him to express their support, and backing... And on Jan.21, President Chirac of France declared that they might veto a UN Security Council decision to attack Iraq, since peaceful ways have not yet been exhausted!

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Background

Here is a map of the region around Iraq

Note that Iraq (the pink area) is completely surrounded by the countries involved in this peace initiative.

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul of Turkey made a diplomacy tour of the region around Iraq, Jan. 4 thru 12, 2003. His objective was to attempt to solve the Iraq problem by peaceful means. Here are some newspaper clippings from those meetings.

With Bashar al-Assad of Syria

With King Abdullah of Jordan

Here is how Jordanian press covered it.

With Atef Abeid and Hosni Mobarak of Egypt

Here is an account of this in Egyptian press

With Crown-Prince of Saudi Arabia

Here is Saudi news about it

With President Hatemi of Iran

Here is how Iranians publish it

And the result was an invitation to a "Regional Summit for Peace"

Here is Arab news about it.

Addendum (Jan. 31, 03). Russia and China, other UN Security Council members with veto power, have announced that they are against a war without giving a chance to the peaceful means. Finally, Tony Blair, Prime minister of UK, and the top supporter of Bush in a possible Iraq war, declared that he insistes on a second UN resolution authorizing use of force if the Security Council finds that Iraq is not complying. This was the condition that Turkey and others have been requiring to be met for their support.