As Iraq prepares for war, its neighbours assess the impact which the conflict will inevitably have on their own communities. Here, BBC correspondents look at the mood in the countries around Iraq.
Caroline Hawley, Jordan
Jordan is deeply worried about the economic effect of war on Iraq. It does a substantial amount of trade with Baghdad and receives oil at a big discount.
The Jordanian authorities are also concerned about the political impact. Jordan is an important ally of the US and it is now quietly hosting an unspecified number of American troops - a deeply unpopular decision.
The government insists it won't take part in any combat but questions are being asked here, and in Jordan's eastern desert local people report sightings of western special forces.
Owen Bennet Jones, Kuwait
Many people remember Saddam Hussein's invasion in 1990 and consequently there is widespread support for an attack on Iraq.
Opinion polls say nearly 90% of Kuwaitis favour military action as long as it results in Saddam Hussein's fall from power.
There are some however who oppose a war and the presence of American troops on Kuwaiti soil.
It is thought several hundred Kuwaitis attended training camps in Afghanistan and many of them fled back home when the Americans toppled the Taleban from power, but bin Laden sympathisers are in a small minority in Kuwait.
Most people are not asking why America is planning to invade Iraq, but why it is taking so long.
Heba Saleh, Saudi Arabia
Popular feeling is deeply opposed to the war.
One man told me the Americans were viewed as liberators in the last Gulf War. This time they are seen as invaders.
The government has been arguing against war for many months - it is now resigned to the conflict and has been seeking to limit the damage.
Crown Prince Abdullah has gone on television to tell his people that Saudi Arabia could not stop the war but it would not accept the division of Iraq nor its coming under military occupation.
One serious concern for the authorities here is that anger against the Americans could spur attacks by Islamic militants against western targets.
Miranda Eeles, Iran
Many people would like to see the back of Saddam Hussein; after all, the two countries fought a vicious war in the 1980s and the legacy of that conflict is still very much on people's minds.
Their hatred towards the Iraqi regime however does not extend to the Iraqi people, who they believe will be the ones that will suffer.
And for some Iranians it is the United States that is the greater Satan.
They have deep misgivings about American intentions and think Washington, in its desire to control the region, will soon turn its attention on Teheran - which unofficially is what a fair number of Iranians are hoping.
Frustrated by the lack of social and political freedoms, many young people have secretly expressed hope that after Baghdad, regime change in Teheran is around the corner.
Kim Ghattas, Syria
Since Tuesday midday, Iraqis have been unable to leave their country through Syria.
There were conflicting explanations on the border about why this was the case, but from speaking with Iraqis waiting to be let in and officials on both sides, it appears that Syria decided to close its border to Iraqis after an influx in the morning.
An Iraqi custom official expressed his anger at the Syrian decision, saying they were turning back families with women and children at a time when their lives were at risk.
Many Iraqi taxis and buses and their passengers now find themselves stranded on the border with not enough petrol to drive back to Baghdad.
The four-hour drive from the Iraqi capital to Syria requires that cars fill up on petrol just before or just after they leave Iraq. On the road between Baghdad and the border, however, there were long queues at the few open petrol stations and cars were not allowed to fill up completely.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~20~RS~)
One-Minute World News
News services
Email this to a friend
Printable version
