Manama: Iraq has no intention to postpone the Arab summit scheduled to take place in Baghdad in March, the Iraqi foreign minister has said.
“There is no plan by Iraq or the Arab League to postpone the summit,” Hoshyar Zebari said. “It is highly significant that Baghdad hosts the summit as it will reinforce relations between Iraq and its Arab surrounding. It will also reenergise the Arab League work on limiting foreign influence in the various Arab issues,” he told Egyptian daily Al Ahram on Saturday.
The summit will also allow Iraq to regain its influential role in the region, he said.
“We will take care of the necessary logistical and technical preparations to hold the summit in Baghdad. All the hotels and facilities of the capital are ready to welcome the delegations,” he said.
Baghdad was scheduled to host the Arab League summit in March last year, but postponed it upon a request from foreign ministers following turmoil in some countries in the region that resulted at the time in the ousting of the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt.
On May 5, the Arab league said that the summit would be held in Baghdad in March 2012, citing the exceptional conditions in some Arab countries. Iraq has insisted on its right to host the annual meeting of Arab leaders.
In December, Nabeel Al Arabi, the secretary-general of the Arab League, said that the summit would be held in Iraq in March.
Addressing reporters at the end of a one-day visit to Baghdad, the first since his appointment in July, Al Arabi said that Iraq was determined to host the summit and that he would make a second visit to look into the details of the meeting.
