Baghdad has strongly criticised a meeting held by several Arab foreign ministers in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada to discuss their positions on Iraq.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Said al-Sahhaf, said Iraq would not recognise any action taken outside the Arab League.

But he added that the league had become an organisation that allowed a minority to push through its policies.

The talks in Hurghada included the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen and are reported to have focussed on the agenda for an Arab League meeting, postponed in December and now due later this month.

The Egyptian news agency accused Mr Sahhaf of hypocricy.

The agency asked what right Iraq had to criticise the Hurghada meeting when Baghdad embarked on reckless, destructive acts without consulting anybody.