DAMASCUS: Anti-war rallies are being staged across the Arab world after the recent reports by United Nations inspectors made an attack on Iraq look imminent.

More rallies are being planned ahead of a report that chief UN inspector Hans Blix is due to hand over to the UN Security Council on Jan 27. Several leaders in the Arab world fear that this report could trigger an attack on Iraq next month.

Tens of thousands of Syrians staged a demonstration on Saturday to condemn US threats against Iraq and to praise the Intifada in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Men, some of them dressed in soldier-like clothes, women, students, farmers, businessmen all came together waving Syrian and Palestinian flags and carrying banners of protest. “No to the aggression on Iraq”, read one banner. “Stop the torture and siege on the brotherly Iraqis...Israel is the one that has weapons of mass destruction”, read another.

Students shouted slogans in support of “Iraqi brothers” as the demonstrators marched in a procession to the Syrian Parliament.

The protest was organised by the Permanent Syrian Arab Committee for backing the Intifada. Eighteen Syrian intellectuals, including researchers, journalists, writers and lecturers, set up the Committee recently to protest against Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the occupied territories.—Dawn/InterPress News Service.