Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa on Sunday warned that the deadly sectarian strife gripping Iraq was only "the tip of the iceberg" and could yet deteriorate further.
Mussa was answering questions ahead of a meeting Monday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is touring the region to defend Washington's plan to send more troops to Iraq in a bid to stem civil violence. "The situation in Iraq is like an iceberg, what is visible is dwarfed by the submerged part," Mussa told reporters.
"Stability will not be achieved in Iraq so long as sectarian conflicts are being fought and hidden agendas are being pursued that use sectarianism or allow it to fester unchecked," Mussa said.
US President George W. Bush announced last week he was planning to send an extra 21,500 troops to Iraq to stem unprecedented bloodshed in the country while pressing the Iraqi government to boost its own security efforts.
Mussa did not name Washington but said the flames of sectarianism had been fanned by foreign parties.
"Encouraging belligerence and sedition between Shiites and Sunnis was a huge blow to Iraqi society," Mussa said. Washington has come under intense criticism for allowing the Shiite-led Iraqi government to carry out the execution of deposed Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein on December 30, the first day of a major Muslim holiday.
Mussa said he would discuss Bush's new strategy in conflict-ridden Iraq with Rice during their meeting Monday in the southern Nile city of Luxor.
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