Ten Arab foreign ministers meeting in Damascus have dismissed both an appeal to join a Muslim holy war against the West and a US attempt to label as "terrorist" Palestinian groups resisting Israeli occupation, writes Michael Jansen.
On one hand, the ministers, who form an Arab League committee dealing with Palestinian issues, condemned the call of Osama bin Laden, blamed for the terrorist attacks in the US, for a "holy war" against "infidel" Western states.
The Arab League Secretary general, Mr Amr Mousa, said: "Bin Laden doesn't speak in the name of Arabs and Muslims."
On the other hand, Mr Mousa warned that the Arabs would not crack down on the Palestinian resistance as their contribution to the global anti-terror campaign. He said the Arabs would "not be duped a second time" by Western governments promising a Palestinian state in exchange for Arab support of a Western military campaign.