Moqtada al-Sadr accuses Arab states of failing Lebanon

Alertnet

Iraq's radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr accused Arab states on Monday of failing to stand behind Lebanon in its crisis with Israel and said they had done the same with Iraq in its time of need.

"We are used to being disappointed by them. They were just silent over Iraq or interfered in a negative way," he told a news conference.

"When it served their interests they ran to help the (Saddam Hussein's) Baath Party but they have failed to support unity now.

"They are doing the same in Lebanon. They talk but only about rubbish."

Sadr is part of Iraq's ruling Shi'ite Alliance and also commands a large, powerful militia.

An Israeli air strike on Sunday which killed at least 54 civilians, including 37 children, in the Lebanese village of Qana has inflamed Arab passions.

Sadr accused the United Nations of being subservient to the United States and said it should work for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli forces and Shi'ite Hizbollah militants in Lebanon.

"United Nations organisations are obedient to the American government. If the American government condemns these acts, they condemn these acts. Their attitude is negative. They have to play their role to get a ceasefire." Link