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A possibly prolonged war in Iraq would lead to large-scale conflicts in the Middle East at large, an Argentine diplomat said on Tuesday.
"The citizens of the different Arab and Muslim countries in general could adhere to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to fight against the US invasion," said Hernan Plorutti, Argentine ambassador to Syria and Jordan.
In a telephone interview, Plorutti, who was in Damascus, capital of Syria, said: "If the war extends, there is a risk leading to a regional political conflict."
He said the large street protests in the Arab countries, Syria and Jordan in particular, demonstrates the popular will against the military strikes on Iraq by the United States and Britain, which began last week.
If the war lasts long or leads to a large number of casualties, deep differences in the Arab world, which is "a serious problem, could rapidly occur, regardless of the disappearance or not of the regime of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein," Plorutti said.
The ambassador said the Arab nations are "very divided" on the Iraq war.
(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2003)
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