Inter-Arab developments over Iraqi request to postpone summit

Differences have surfaced once again among the Arab states concerning the convening of the Arab summit which will concentrate on the Iraqi crisis. After Baghdad had asked for the postponement of the meeting set for March 1st, the Egyptian information minister Safwat al-Sharif said that the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed that the Arab summit will be held at its set date on Saturday in Sharm esh Sheikh.

The Egyptian minister quoted Mubarak as saying that it is important that the summit be held immediately so as the Arab nation shoulders its responsibilities and have a clear stand in avoiding the military option against Iraq.

On Sunday, Baghdad asked for the postponement of the Arab summit until March 14, in order to assess the Iraqi condition and because of the preoccupation of the Iraqi officials in preparing reports which will be submitted to the UN inspection teams, and dealing with matters needed to be dealt with between Iraq and the UN inspection teams.

Meantime, the assistant secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmad Bin Hali, said that the Arab League has prepared and taken all logistic arrangements to convene the summit at its date and that the Arab ambassadors were informed about that during their consultation meeting on Sunday evening. He indicated that some 21 Arab states announced approval to attend the summit.