JEDDAH, 27 March 2007 — Saudi citizens and residents expressed optimism that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will be able to unite the Arab world and bring about something fruitful from the two-day Arab summit, which is beginning in Riyadh tomorrow.
Political analyst Bader Al-Mutawa said, “Its is clear that the summit is going to be effective in tackling the region’s problems due to the enormity of issues and the type of decisions needed to resolve them.”
Jamal Amin Masri, a political journalist with the Okaz Arabic daily, shared his optimism. “The Riyadh Arab Summit is expected to succeed because it is being held in a country that has a lot of influence in the region. Stopping the internal Arab conflict is the least amount of good that can come out of this summit. If this is achieved, it will be a source of relief and a success in itself,” he said.
Yasser Abu Jabal, a Palestinian resident in the Kingdom, said King Abdullah’s efforts to reconcile differences would bring peace to the region. “The Riyadh Arab Summit is expected to be a historical event. The Kingdom has already taken the initiative in the Palestinian issue by bringing to the table various feuding factions. This has been the best Arab solution in years,” he added.
Adam Saif Al-Yazal, a Jeddah resident from Sudan, said, “The international political situation demands that Arabs stand together and address the world in one voice on the issues that affect the region.” He expects that the international community will welcome the decisions reached at the Riyadh summit.
However, some residents were skeptical of anything fruitful coming from the summit. Joseph Abu Assi, a Lebanese resident in Jeddah, said, “The summit is not going to come up with anything tangible because Arab leaders adopt views that suit the interests of their country without looking at the wider interests of the region.
“The beautiful thing about the summit is that it is led by King Abdullah who is always trying to unite the Arab and Islamic world. But the door of personal gains is open and will never close, not at this summit or at any future summit.”
