The Arab summit and the pressures for strong or weak statements

The Kuwaiti daily al-Qabas quoted a well-informed US source as saying that in general the US is not content with the Arab summit and that the US has reminded the Arab diplomats and officials of that because it is concluded with the minimum accepted backing to Arafat.

The US official added: " we do not think that Cairo's summit will be positive due to the tense situations in the Palestinian territories and in certain Arab capitals."

The paper quoted the official as saying that the Arab summit will be an occasion of a forum for taking extremist political stances.

The paper added that the US has tried to convince Egypt and others of its Arab allies that it is not the proper time for such a summit because it will contribute to convert the Arab public opinion against Israel.

Meantime, The BBC correspondent in the Middle east said that as the Israeli and Palestinian sides have expressed cautious optimism over the possibility of implementing Sharm esh Sheikh agreement, this will alleviate the pressure imposed on the Arab foreign ministers who met on Thursday in Cairo especially in dealing with the confrontations in the Palestinian territories.

Observers expect that extremist Arab states like Libya and Yemen will ask the coming summit to take strong measures in support of the Palestinians while "moderate" Arab states like Egypt that resorting to military measures is not really workable.

Libya has stressed that President Muaammar al-Qaddafi stressed he is not against the convening of the next Arab summit in Cairo.

A press statement released by the Libyan " brothers office " in al-Khartoum on Thursday said that stemming from the responsibilities al-Qaddafi has towards crimes of killing and extermination of the Palestinian people, he will not be against the convening of the special Arab summit conference, rather he is against " weak and fragile decisions that might be released from the summit that are not up to the level of national responsibility and do not comply with the revolution of the Arab public against the Israeli intransigence and for liberating the occupied Arab territories and the return back of Jerusalem."

Meantime, chairman of the Arab and international committee at the Iraqi national council Salim al-Kubeisi said on Thursday that his country is very careful that meetings of the Arab summit will be dedicated to one subject which the question of Palestine, the intifada and occupied Jerusalem.

He stressed that Baghdad now stands firmly with the convening of the urgent summit but under the condition that it should be a genuine summit that meets the ambitions of the Arab people in this difficult condition the cause of Palestine is passing.

He expressed his hope that the summit will take into account the position of the Arab public and their will as expressed in the demonstrations in most Arab and Muslim capitals and that the decisions released by this summit to cope with the challenges posed by Israel.