Qatar has submitted an official request to the Arab League for an Arab summit to be held on the crises facing Iraq and the Palestinian territories, a high-ranking Arab official said on Tuesday.
The request was contained in a letter from Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem ben Jabr al-Thani to Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, said the official, who requested anonymity.
The letter was handed over by the head of Qatar's delegation to the 22-member pan-Arab organization, Mohammad bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the official added.
Doha said in the message that the time was ripe for an Arab summit "to discuss the means with which the Arabs will deal with the current situation in the Middle East, as the (UN) Security Council prepares to issue a new resolution" on Baghdad, the official added, according to AFP.
The summit would, in addition, provide Arab leaders with a good opportunity to review the latest developments in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, he said.
Mussa has informed Arab countries of Qatar's request, however has not received any feedback, the official further added.
In the meantime, the secretary general has decided to call for a meeting Saturday night at the league's Cairo headquarters to consult delegation heads on the Qatari request and a similar demand made last week by Libya.
Libya has threatened to pull out of the Arab League, which it criticizes for failing to act on regional developments.
Arab foreign ministers are due to meet Sunday in the Egyptian capital to discuss Iraq and the Palestinian issue. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
