Calls for unity as Arab leaders gather

Amman : Arab leaders gathered for an annual summit in Jordan Wednesday looking to overcome divisions on regional crises including the devastating wars in Syria and Yemen.

A show of unity was expected on the Israeli-Palestinian question, but on other issues analysts said any breakthrough was highly unlikely.

As the summit of the 22-member Arab League opened in Sweimeh on the Dead Sea coast, Jordan's King Abdullah II suggested that failing to come together would leave the region open to outside influence.

"We need to take the initiative to find solutions to all the challenges we face in order to avoid foreign interference in our affairs," he said.

Arab leaders have been unable to find common ground on how to end Syria's conflict, which in six years has left more than 320,000 dead and forced millions from their homes.

Various Arab nations are supporting different proxy forces on the ground and there is disagreement on the future of President Bashar al-Assad, whose participation in the league has been suspended since 2011.

While some say Assad must go for any peace deal others, including Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have not insisted on his departure as a condition for a political agreement.

Arab divisions have allowed other nations including Iran, Russia and Turkey to take the diplomatic initiative on Syria.

Visiting a refugee camp in Jordan on Tuesday before attending the summit, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed calls for differences to be set aside.