Saddam accepted Sheikh Zayed's initiative, provided that the call to step down came from the Arab Summit :: Al Mendhar

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Several sources have confirmed that the US administration was aware of the initiative and did not object to it.
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Knowledgeable Emirati sources have disclosed the details of the initiative of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahian, former president of United Arab Emirates. The initiative aimed at the stepping down of the ousted Iraqi president and helping Baghdad avoid an unbalanced war against the Americans. The added that the initiative has been approved on behalf of the main competent parties and could have led to avoiding the war in Iraq if it was not frustrated in Sharm El Sheikh Arab urgent Summit, which has been held in February 2003, weeks before the war.