Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit announced on Tuesday that the upcoming League summit would be held in Algeria on November 1 and 2, ending the controversy about the meeting.
He denied claims that the summit will be postponed or held in another country.
He stressed that Arab foreign ministers, who met in Cairo on Tuesday, agreed on the summit's date and location, underscoring the importance of holding the meeting after a three-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at a press conference after the Cairo meeting, he said it was too early to talk about reintegrating Syria into the League, revealing that Damascus has chosen to skip this year’s summit.
He stressed the importance of ensuring the success of the summit given the pressing issues facing the Arab world.
He remarked that the war in Syria is unlikely to be resolved any time soon, Iraq is still without a government despite having held elections months ago, and the Libyan capital Tripoli has witnessed renewed clashes between rival militias.
Aboul Gheit told the Arab foreign ministers that it was necessary to contain any disagreement and problems to maintain unity, adding he was looking forward to the summit in Algeria.
He stressed that political solutions are the “only possible option” for all the Arab crises to achieve stability, end the suffering of the people, and stop bloodshed.
Furthermore, he declared that key to the region’s stability is reaching a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This demands ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders.
He noted several crises around the world, such as Russia’s war on Ukraine, the ongoing pandemic and the resulting economic slowdown and turmoil in markets and supply chains, and how they impact the Arab world.
The summit has been surrounded by controversy, namely over Algeria’s insistence that Syria be invited. The issue had sparked debate in the Arab world as not all countries support its return.
The issue was put to rest, however, when Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra revealed that Damascus had opted that its reinstatement to the Arab League be kept off the summit agenda.
In Cairo, Lamamra handed Egyptian President Abdulfattah al-Sisi an invitation to attend the summit.
