Lebanon proposes an earlier date for convening the next Arab summit

Press reports in Beirut said that Lebanon has asked the Arab league to hold the next Arab summit due to be held in Beirut on march 30 2002 on the 25th of the same month.

This was expressed in a telephone call made by the Lebanese foreign minister Mahmoud Hammoud to the AL secretary general Amre Mousa. Hammoud explains that the set date of convening the Arab summit on March 30 coincides with the Easter and therefore he proposed March 25th for the summit and to be preceded by a meeting for the Arab foreign ministers on March 23.

The AL secretary general promised to convey the Lebanese request to the Arab Kings and Presidents and to make consultations to fix a final date for convening this summit.

It was expected that the Lebanese minister of culture Ghassan Salamah, in charge of preparing for the summit to have had during his visit to Cairo to take part in the seminar of " interaction among civilizations," held talks with Amr Moussa on the date of convening the summit, its work agenda and current preparations concerning it.

These issues will be also discussed during the meeting of the Arab follow up committee in Cairo in the first week of December.