Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has called on Iraq to comply with UN resolutions to avert any possibility of a US military strike against the country, newspapers reported today.
Speaking to a military gathering yesterday, the president was quoted as saying that aiming any strike at an Arab state would be an extremely grave issue with wide implications.
The president also expressed his hope that Iraq comply with UN resolutions so as not to give any pretext that could possibly be used against it.
US Assistant Secretary of State Mr William Burns said the United States had yet to decide whether to use military force against Iraq and that Washington plans to discuss the issue with its Gulf War allies.
Speculation has intensified that the United States could start a new phase in its war on terrorism after Afghanistan by attacking such countries as Somalia, Iraq or Sudan.
Iraq, which is on a US list of states sponsoring terrorism, denies any links to international terrorism.