Sunday, January 9th 2011Amr Moussa seeks to restore Iraq’s prominence in Arab affairs
Baghdad, Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, spoke on Saturday of the importance of restoring Iraq’s prominence in the Middle East, expressing at the same time his satisfaction with the preparations underway in Baghdad to host the forthcoming Arab League Summit.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Baghdad with the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, Moussa described Iraq as being “part of the Arabic fabric” saying that the restoration of Iraq’s leadership role in The Middle East was important for all Arabs.
The Arab League leader went on to explain that logistical arrangements for the Arab League Summit that will be held in Baghdad in March had been discussed at length, as well as the agenda for the event.
Moussa said that he and the Iraqi Foreign Minister had also discussed other regional issues such as the pending Sudanese referendum and the Palestinian issue.
For his part, Zebari spoke of preparations for the Arab Summit, saying that security was the most pressing priority.
In an Arab League meeting in the Libyan city of Sirte last month, it was decided that the next Arab Summit would be held in Baghdad despite the reticence of some Arab states concerning security issues in the Iraqi capital.
The Iraqi government has allocated around $300m to the preparations for the meeting of Arab leaders, to cover the implementation of tight security measures and the refurbishment of six of Baghdad’s biggest hotels.
The Iraqi government has described the move as a national achievement and evidence of Iraq's return to the Arab arena.
Iraq has not hosted the Arab summit since May 1990 due to the international sanctions imposed on the country by the U.N. after the invasion of Kuwait and the unstable security situation following the U.S.-led, allied invasion of Iraq in 2003.
On his two-day visit to Iraq, Moussa will also head to Najaf to meet the Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani, before a subsequent meeting in Kurdistan with the Kurdistan Region's President Masoud Barzani.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/208930/
Baghdad, Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, spoke on Saturday of the importance of restoring Iraq’s prominence in the Middle East, expressing at the same time his satisfaction with the preparations underway in Baghdad to host the forthcoming Arab League Summit.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Baghdad with the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, Moussa described Iraq as being “part of the Arabic fabric” saying that the restoration of Iraq’s leadership role in The Middle East was important for all Arabs.
The Arab League leader went on to explain that logistical arrangements for the Arab League Summit that will be held in Baghdad in March had been discussed at length, as well as the agenda for the event.
Moussa said that he and the Iraqi Foreign Minister had also discussed other regional issues such as the pending Sudanese referendum and the Palestinian issue.
For his part, Zebari spoke of preparations for the Arab Summit, saying that security was the most pressing priority.
In an Arab League meeting in the Libyan city of Sirte last month, it was decided that the next Arab Summit would be held in Baghdad despite the reticence of some Arab states concerning security issues in the Iraqi capital.
The Iraqi government has allocated around $300m to the preparations for the meeting of Arab leaders, to cover the implementation of tight security measures and the refurbishment of six of Baghdad’s biggest hotels.
The Iraqi government has described the move as a national achievement and evidence of Iraq's return to the Arab arena.
Iraq has not hosted the Arab summit since May 1990 due to the international sanctions imposed on the country by the U.N. after the invasion of Kuwait and the unstable security situation following the U.S.-led, allied invasion of Iraq in 2003.
On his two-day visit to Iraq, Moussa will also head to Najaf to meet the Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani, before a subsequent meeting in Kurdistan with the Kurdistan Region's President Masoud Barzani.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/208930/
