Unity focus of summit

Maintaining unity, cohesion and solidarity in the face of multiple challenges will be the focus of today’s Arab League summit in Tunis. King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who presided over the last summit and is leading the Saudi delegation, held talks on Saturday with Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed. 

They discussed co-operation in various fields, ways to enhance and develop bilateral ties, and regional and international developments. The Arab-Israeli conflict is expected to be at the top of the summit agenda today. 

Summit spokesman Mahmoud Al Khmeiry said the heads of state would renew their commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, which proposes peace with Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from all lands occupied in 1967, but would reject any proposal that was not in line with UN resolutions.

This is expected to mean rejection of an as yet unannounced US peace plan by White House adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Drumpf’s son-in-law, which Palestinians have refused to discuss.

The summit is expected to mobilize international support for full Palestinian membership in the UN. The agenda also includes the war in Syria, developments in Libya and Yemen, a unified Arab stance on the violation of Iraqi sovereignty by Turkish forces, and support for peace and development in Sudan.