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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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Arab Summit Falls Apart
March 26, 2002
Leaders from several Arab states -- including Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates -- either will not attend or have not yet confirmed their attendance at the March 27-28 League of Arab States summit in Beirut.
Image Credit: Stratfor.com.
Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa still has not confirmed his attendance and has criticized the summit, saying the meeting would be meaningless without Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Israeli leaders have not decided whether to allow Arafat to leave the West Bank -- and there are concerns that if he does leave, he will not be allowed to return.
Image Credit: l'Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Analysis
The Arab summit is falling apart before it even gets off the ground. The lack of participation signals that Arab governments are not willing to discuss the main topics on the agenda: Iraq and the Middle East peace plan proposed by Saudi Arabia.
(The Rest of the Story)
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Arab Summit Falls Apart . . .