Al-Bashir to lead Sudan’s delegation to Arab Summit
March 25, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will lead Sudan’s delegation to the Arab summit set to begin in Damascus on March 29.
The summit, scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday March 29-30, has been mired in controversy. Some Arab states have vowed not to attend if the Lebanese Parliament has not elected a president by then.
Regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt have blamed Syria – which was the dominant political and military force in Lebanon for decades – for obstructing the election.
The Lebanese government on Tuesday decided to boycott the summit without ruling out the possibility of sending a message that could be read at the summit.
The Saudi Arabia said to be represented by its representative at the AL in Cairo. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is also not expected to attend; his foreign minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit could represent him.
Al-Bashir said, during his visit to the UAE earlier this month, that there was a decision from all the Arab countries to attend the Arab summit, expressing hope that the presence of Arab leaders be at a high level because of the significant challenges that are facing the Arab nation including the Israeli risk, the Iraqi problem, the situation in Somalia and the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan.
He further said that the meeting of Arab leaders in Damascus is an important step to meet the challenges that surround the Arab nation from all sides, expressing hope that the Damascus summit would be a beginning to unite Arabs around their common issues.
The agenda of the Arab Summit includes the Palestinian cause, the Arab peace initiative, the issue of the occupied Syrian Golan, the Arab national security, developments of the situation in Iraq and support of peace, development and unity in Sudan.
(ST)