Bouteflika supports Iraq's participation in summit

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika expressed yesterday his support for convening an Arab summit with the participation of all Arab states, including Iraq.

Bouteflika said the summit must be comprehensive and be convened without any exceptions, referring to the opposition of some Arab states to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's participation in any Arab meeting.

"I do not believe in an Arabic summit unless a record participation is noted and I don't believe in a summit in which there is exclusion or marginalisation," the Algerian News Agency quoted him as saying.

He expressed his readiness to travel to Cairo or to any another Arab capital for this summit.

Bouteflika referred to convening a meeting soon with Jordan's King Abdullah Bin Hussein before the end of the current year.