The absence of many Arab leaders from the Arab summit in Beirut cast a shadow Wednesday on its opening day. Only half the heads of the 22 members of the Arab League are present at the summit which has been billed as a historic opportunity to forge a peace deal with Israel. The summit is due to debate a Saudi initiative for collective Arab peace with Israel.
Adel Al-Jubeir, the Saudi crown prince's policy adviser who arrived with Abdullah on Tuesday evening, told The Associated Press in an interview that the initiative demands a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territory, including Jerusalem, in return for "normal relations between Israelis and the Arab countries ... (and calls for) a just resolution of other issues like refugees."
"The reason this initiative is so powerful is because it crystalizes the whole issue and distills it to its bare essence: land for peace. We're willing to give you (Israel) peace. Are you (Israelis) willing to give us the land? We haven't seen any indications from the Israeli side," he said.
According to analysts, Abdullah's proposal could lose the momentum it needs to succeed. Mubarak has been a voice for moderation - something Abdullah could miss.
Opening Speech
Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb, whose country is to hand over chairmanship of the summit to Lebanon, kicked off the meeting with words of blessing for the Saudi plan.
"We back and support this initiative...which constitutes a cornerstone for a comprehensive peace and sends a clear message to the whole world that the Arabs want peace...and that Israel is the one putting obstacles in its way," Abu Ragheb said.
Absentees
On Wednesday morning, AFP reported that Jordanian King Abdullah will not attend the Beirut summit, and will send his prime minister Ali Abu Ragheb to the Arab gathering.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat joined Tuesday the list of the missing, though Arafat, effectively barred by Israel, is to address the conference over a satellite television link from his headquarters in Ramallah.
Those absent will also include Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Saddam has not left his country since it was defeated by a US-led coalition in the 1991 Gulf War, and Vice President Ezzat Ibrahim, the first delegation head to arrive in Beirut, by road from Syria on Monday, will stand in for him.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who is the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia because his brother King Fahd is seriously ill, is the head of the Saudi delegation to Beirut. Other absentees will include Qatar's Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, current chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and the heads of state of Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Mauritania.
Meanwhile, the heads of the United Nations, the European Union and the organization of French-speaking nations (OIF) joined Arab leaders arriving in Beirut ahead of the two-day Arab summit.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and OIF leader Butros Butros-Ghali landed in the Lebanese capital to attend the summit.
The EU special envoy to the Middle East, Miguel Angel Moratinos, also arrived earlier from the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Arafat
Yasser Arafat decided Tuesday not to attend the summit after Israel brushed aside appeals by the United States and threatened to prevent the Palestinian leader from returning home if violence flared when he was gone. But Arafat was to address the gathering via satellite.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said "conditions are not ripe" for Arafat to travel. He insisted the Palestinian leader call in Arabic a cease-fire first and that Washington back any Israeli decision to bar Arafat from returning home if there is violence during his absence.
Arafat "won't be blackmailed," the Palestinian cabinet responded.
"President Arafat has consulted with his leadership and has studied the issue carefully. He has decided not to allow Israel to pressure the Palestinian negotiators into submitting to Israeli conditions, and so he decided not to go to the summit," Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher insisted Israel grant a "round trip" for Arafat to and from the summit.
This latest development could undermine U.S. peace efforts as well the Arab support for the Saudi peace plan.
Nevertheless, Arafat will address the Arab gathering Wednesday from his Ramallah headquarters through a satellite hookup, Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
