Leaders arrive in Saudi ahead of 29th Arab League summit

London : Top leaders of the Arab world started arriving in Saudi Arabia ahead of the 29th Arab League summit to be held in Dammam today.

The Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Cabinet Affairs Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran yesterday for the 29th Arab League summit.

Earlier yesterday, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Iraqi President Fuad Masum, and the Lebanese President Michel Aoun arrived in Dhahran ahead of the summit that is due to take place today.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, ahead of leading the country’s delegation to the 29th Arab League Summit.

Sheikh Mohammed is accompanied by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation; Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future; Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation; Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Khalifa Sulaiman, Director General of Dubai Protocol and Hospitality Department; and Juma Al Junaibi, UAE Permanent Representative at the Arab League.

In a ministerial meeting that was held on Thursday, the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said that Palestine and the situation there will top discussions at the Arab summit.

The agenda for the summit was set out in the preparatory meeting on Thursday in Riyadh, where the foreign ministers of the 22 countries met. The heads of several international organizations and non-profits are also expected to attend.

 The secretary-general of the UN, Antonio Guterres arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. 

During the preparatory meeting on Thursday, Saudi Arabia said the Palestinian conflict would top the summit’s agenda, though it is likely that airstrikes on Syria from the US, UK and France will now result in a shift in priorities. 

Yesterday morning, the three countries launched a co-ordinated attack on Damascus in response to the use of chemical weapons in rebel-held  Douma  a week ago.

Missiles targeted a research centre, two chemical weapons facilities and an Assad regime command centre.