Union of Arab Republics (1972) Union of Arab Republics (1972) In March 1972 Ba'athist Iraq proposed Egypt and Syria to re-establish the United Arab Republic which dissolved in 1971. The Iraqi proposal was an immediate reaction to Jordan's proposal for a United Arab Kingdom but collided with the already established Federation of Arab Republics and failed because of Iraqi–Syrian differences. The United Arab Kingdom plan was angrily rejected by the Palestinians, the Arab League and the Islamic States as well as by Israel. The Iraqi counter-proposal urged to include the PLO (to fight united for the liberation of Palestine) in an "Union of Arab Republics"
Arab Socialist Union (Syria) dissolved to leave room for the National Union, which was the only legal party within the United Arab Republic (a Syria-Egypt merger under Gamal Abdel Nasser's leadership). However, dissent over the union grew, and another conference, a year later, reversed the party's decision. When the UAR dissolved in 1961, the Baath Party struggled to reform its Syrian branch, but several groups broke away, including a Nasserist and pro-unionist tendency (which formed the Socialist Unionists, (SU)) and a strongly anti-Nasserist current under Akram al-Hawrani, who recreated his former ASP. Meanwhile, several other Nasserite and pro-Egyptian factions worked in opposition to the