Arab foreign ministers condemned on Monday the "aggression" against Iraq and called for the "immediate and unconditional withdrawal" of "invasion forces" from the country.

The resolution issued at the end of their meeting in Cairo also called on "all Arab states to abstain from participating in any military action damaging the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq or any other Arab country." But the resolution stopped short of demanding Arab states deny assistance to American troops.

Arab League Secretary General Amro Moussa dismissed claims that the League failed to take a strong stance on most controversial issues In this resolution, we called for the reaffirmation of the commitment of all Arab countries to abstain from participating in - and I would also say helping - any military action against the sovereignty, security, territorial integrity of Iraq, or any other Arab country," Moussa said.

"Therefore it (the call to deny support) is included, it is there in the interpretation, or the reading of this resolution." The resolution was adopted unanimously, except for reservations from Kuwait.

Several Arab states are already providing assistance to the American and British forces, which launched their assault on Iraq last week.

Kuwait was used as a launching pad for the ground invasion, while the US Central Command's mobile headquarters is based in Qatar and the US Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain.

"There was a clear consensus among Arab governments that they should not take part in this criminal attack against Iraq," Iraq's Foreign Minister Naji Sabri told Jazeera Television as he left the Arab League headquarters.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri talking to reporters, "There is only one country, one which is taking part in the aggression against Iraq that did not accept this resolution, and that is the government of Kuwait which opened the door to the aggression," Sabri added. Kuwait, according to the Arab League secretary general, wanted to include a clause in the resolution. He did not elaborate.

But on Saturday, Kuwait's delegate to the Arab League, Ahmed Kulaib said his country would request that the ministers condemn the Iraqi bombardment of the emirate on the first day of the war.

"Kuwait's request had the backing of fellow Gulf states as well as Egypt and Jordan," Kulaib added.

Iraq's argument was that Iraqi missiles were targeting American and British troops based in the emirate in "legitimate defence" against the invasion.

Asked to comment on reports that Jordan was assisting the US-British attack on Iraq, Sabri reiterated "the unanimity of the Arab world in their condemnation of the aggression."

Jordan's Prime Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb said on Sunday that his country was not providing covert military support to Washington and London's effort against Iraq.

"Jordan is not a party to this conflict. There is no activity inside Jordan against Iraq," he said." The Jordanian minister added US forces had not used Jordan as a springboard to capture two airfields, known as H2 and H3 in western Iraq on Friday.

The only American troops in Jordan were operating Patriot anti-missile units to defend the country's airspace, Abu Ragheb said, refusing to disclose their numbers. Jordanian residents in the west of the country have reported the movement of large numbers of vehicles in recent weeks, which critics of King Abdullah claim are US forces.

United Nations
The final statement, read out by Libya's minister of African unity, Ali Triki, said the US-led attack on Iraq was "in violation of the UN charter ... and in defiance of the international community".

The Arab ministers said they would task their representatives at the United Nations "to request an urgent meeting of the Security Council so as to stop the aggression and secure an immediate withdrawal".

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Cairo, Hussein Abdel Ghani said Arab states expect Washington and London to block any attempt to convene a council session. "That is why Arab foreign ministers said - if that happens - they will bring the issue to the UN General Assembly," Ghani said.

The 191-nation assembly has the authority to call on parties to the conflict to stop hostilities in cases where the Security Council is unable to reach a consensus on collective action.

It was the Arab League's first meeting since the start of the American and British war on Iraq. Diplomats said the ministers are trying to convince "the Arab street" that they are doing their utmost to stop the hostilities.

Arab capitals have seen almost daily demonstrations - some of them violent - against the attack on Iraq.

In Baghdad on Sunday, Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan launched a scathing attack against the position adopted by Arab governments.

He divided them into three groups: "the conspirators, which include the rulers of Kuwait," those "secretly cooperating with the aggression" and those "trying to prevent their populations from protesting" against the war.

US Appeal Rebuffed
Shortly before the League issued its resolution, Washington called on Arab governments to accept the invasion and concentrate on post-war reconstruction.

"It is our hope that the Arab League discussions will be constructive and that will focus on how the Arab world can help the Iraqi people to create conditions for rapid transition to representative self-government," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We have made clear that the end of this regime, the disarmament of Iraq will happen," Boucher added.

Secretary of State Colin Powell appealed to his Egyptian and Saudi Arabian counterparts over the weekend for the meeting to focus on reconstruction efforts in Iraq. There has been no immediate reaction from the State Department on the Arab League resolution.