JEDDAH, 21 March 2007 — The relaunch of the Arab peace plan to settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, measures to bring security and stability to Iraq and the need to make the Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will figure high on the agenda of the 19th Arab League summit, scheduled to begin in Riyadh on March 28.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up preparations for the two-day conference. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is optimistic that the summit will strengthen Arab unity and formulate effective resolutions to meet the challenges facing the Arab world.
Leaders from 23 Arab League member countries will attend the conference, entitled “The Summit of Solidarity.” Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh will be the first to arrive in the Saudi capital followed by Tunisia’s President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, and Sudanese President Omar Bashir, informed sources said.
The sources confirmed the attendance of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has underscored existing strong relations between his country and Saudi Arabia. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad and Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will also attend. Omani Deputy Premier Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Saeed will represent Sultan Qaboos.
Other leaders expected for the summit are: UAE President Sheikh Khalifa, Jordan’s King Abdallah, King Muhammad of Morocco, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Mauritania’s President Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Comoros President Abdallah Sambi and Somali Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Gedi. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will be the last leader to arrive on the first day while Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad will arrive on the second day of the summit, sources said.
An Arab official said Egypt was trying to persuade Libya to reverse its decision to boycott the summit.
The conference will be held at King Abdul Aziz International Center in Riyadh where the leaders will hold two closed-door sessions on the first day. Arab foreign ministers have already discussed the summit’s draft resolutions, including the one addressing the laying out of an overall 2020 Arab strategy to acquire the technology to produce nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The formation of the Palestinian unity government will enable the summit to work on reviving the Middle East peace process based on the Arab peace plan, a Saudi official said. He also spoke about the Kingdom’s diplomatic efforts to reconcile Lebanese groups. Efforts to end the stalemate in Lebanon were stepped up after King Abdullah’s talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Riyadh.
The official said the formation of a Palestinian unity government as a result of King Abdullah’s peace initiative would enable the summit to discuss ways of providing political and economic aid to the Palestinians. King Abdullah held talks with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Riyadh yesterday on developments in Palestine, the Saudi Press Agency said.
