Egypt won't join force to protect UN in Iraq
Egypt said yesterday that it would not be in favour of joining a multinational force to protect the United Nations mission in Iraq, if asked to contribute troops.
"Egypt has not been officially asked to participate in this force," presidential spokesman Maged Abdul Fatah told reporters after talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
He added: "Egypt prefers not to participate in this force at the moment."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. During a visit to Cairo last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said he had asked Egypt to encourage Arab and Islamic countries to contribute troops for a force to protect UN operations in Iraq.
Abul Fatah said Arab and Islamic countries were "hesitant" and were generally not interested in getting involved in Iraqi in a military capacity.
Comments