Arab leaders have begun meetings in Egypt to try to bridge long-standing rifts and agree a unified policy on Iraq they hope can prevent a US-led war in the volatile region.
As Washington forges ahead with its massive troop build-up in the Gulf amid warnings to Iraq to disarm or face war, the one-day summit of the 22-member Arab League will try to come up with a peaceful solution to the crisis.
"We repeat our rejection of war against Iraq, or Kuwait, or any Arab state as a threat against the entire Arab nation," Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud said in a speech opening the summit.
"We have previously called upon Iraq to cooperate with the United Nations to eliminate pretexts for aggression against it, and we will not cease to call for such cooperation," he added.
The leaders will discuss a draft declaration which delegates have said includes rejection of a strike against Iraq and a possible call on Arab states to resist participating in a war.
But analysts doubt Arab leaders have the leverage to influence either Iraq or the United States, even if they can paper over differences among the deeply divided members, who range from long-time US allies to states Washington calls sponsors of terrorism.
While Arab states oppose war and fear its repercussions on their domestic stability and economies, analysts say they have a limited ability to make their disapproval felt.
Oil producers have made clear they will not use oil as a weapon, nor will US allies try to exert influence by taking the domestically popular step of kicking out US troops, analysts say.
Some Gulf Arab states, such as Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, host US forces and may be springboards for a war. Saudi Arabia has also been home to US forces since the 1991 Gulf War.
Egypt, a major US aid recipient, has increasingly put the onus of averting a war on Baghdad. Syria, which Washington accuses of sponsoring terrorism, has strongly opposed a war on its doorstep, saying US targets in the Middle East extend beyond Iraq.
Delegates said the Arab leaders might also discuss the possibility of sending envoys to Baghdad, Washington and other key capitals to explain their views in hopes of averting war.They said the foreign ministers had already agreed on draft resolutions on a number of other topics, including renewed support for a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Arab states fear a war against Iraq could be the first US step towards a wider regional shake-up. Arabs are also concerned about a possible popular backlash against war, as well as the economic repercussions of conflict.