Continued Libyan - Saudi disputes

While tension is prevailing the Libyan-Saudi relations since the convening of the Arab summit which was held in Sharm al-Sheikh in 2002, prior to the war on Iraq, the visit of the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and that of the chairman of the Egyptian intelligence did not succeed in bridging the gap between Riyadh and Tripoli.

According to an Arab source, the Saudi foreign minister will not attend the meeting at the Arab League in order to avoid meeting with his Libyan counterpart Abdul Rahman Shalqam.

In addition to the Saudi minister, the foreign ministers of Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait notified they will not attending the meeting personally.

The reasons behind the absence of these ministers were not clarified. Their countries will be represented by permanent representatives to the AL, according to the same source.