Arabs snub U.S. over Iraq troops

CAIRO, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Arab League nations have ruled out sending troops to help stabilize Iraq.

The ministers from 11 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority agreed Tuesday that sending Arab forces "cannot be considered in the current circumstances," the organization's secretary-general Amr Moussa said.

The ministers also refused to recognize the U.S.-backed Iraq Governing Council as the country's legitimate government, the BBC said.

"The Council is a start but it should pave the way for a legitimate government that can be recognized," Moussa said.

The Iraq Governing Council did not send any representatives to the Cairo meeting.