Summit debacle

It remains unclear if, when, and where the Arab summit will convene, reports Dina Ezzat from Tunis

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Egypt moved quickly to contain the diplomatic fallout from the surprise announcement that the Arab summit, due to open last Monday in Tunis, would be indefinitely postponed. The dramatic decision, made by Tunisian President Zein Al-Abidine Bin Ali, was taken hours before Arab leaders were due to arrive in the Tunisian capital. Neither the Arab League, nor any of its 22 members, had been consulted over the decision.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak joined other Arab leaders in expressing shock and dismay at the Tunisian decision. Less than 12 hours after the cancellation he called for an Arab summit in Egypt, home to the headquarters of the Arab League. Mubarak is currently engaged in high level consultations to decide a date and a venue for the summit. He has already met with King Hamad Bin Issa of Bahrain, the current chair of the Arab summit, Jordan's King Abdullah and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

It looks increasingly likely that the Arab summit will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh during the first week of May, with possible preparatory meetings during the last week of April at the level of foreign ministers. Though this scenario is being resisted by Tunis which claims it had to call off the summit due to inter-Arab differences over the resolutions the summit was to adopt.

Tunisia's claims have been contested by Arab foreign ministers participating in the summit's preparatory meetings and Tunisian officials continue to insist that they will host the summit when, and if, participants resolve their differences.

Following a meeting with President Bin Ali on Monday Tunisian Foreign Minister Al- Habib Bin Yehya issued a statement saying his country remained determined to host the summit. "The president is determined to continue consultations with Arab countries and the Arab League," he said.

According to the statement Tunisia is calling for Arab foreign ministers to meet at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League to complete preparations for the summit which will then convene in Tunis under the chairmanship of President Bin Ali.

But according to one Arab foreign minister, who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly in Tunis on conditions of anonymity, Tunisia has lost any credibility as host of the summit.

"Tunis had its chance to have the summit and it blew it. Nobody is going to come back here," he said, arguing that since the Tunisians "abused" their right as host "and called off the summit in a verbal message relayed from the Tunisian president to Arab foreign ministers who were working hard to prepare for the summit, without prior notice or convincing reason, then they have no right to expect people to come back to Tunis ... and if they feel jealous because Egypt is coming to the forefront then this is their problem."

Tunisian attempts to obstruct Egypt's diplomatic rescue mission have also provoked considerable resentment and the Arab press has been almost unanimous in condemning the Tunisian decision.

With demonstrations in Arab capitals in protest at the Tunisian decision, Arab papers accused Tunis of caving in to US and Israeli pressure to cancel the summit in order to avoid any high level Arab condemnation of the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

"The diplomatic rescue mission President Hosni Mubarak is currently conducting to save the Arab summit is very important," said Hesham Youssef, chief of staff of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. "Egyptian efforts can prevent further deterioration."

Arab officials and commentators agree that the Tunisian decision has many potentially serious consequences. Had it not been for Egypt's prompt reaction, they argue, the decision would have compromised the annual Arab summit and have put the future of the Arab League on the line.

"It is very important that we have the summit soon ... The sudden postponement was very serious ... We have to move on," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said in Cairo.

Moussa is planning an extended Arab tour that will begin tomorrow with Tunis and which is expected to include Algeria, Morocco, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

According to a protocol annexed to the charter of the Arab League in 2000, Arab leaders are scheduled to convene for a summit in March of every year. The chairmanship of the summit is rotated among member states of the Arab League in alphabetical order.

The venue of the summit, according to the annexed protocol, is the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League unless the chair calls for the summit to convene on its territory.

In 2001 Jordan hosted the summit. In 2002 the United Arab Emirates passed the chairmanship to Lebanon, and the summit duly convened in Beirut. Last year, following a request by Bahrain, the then chair, the summit was moved to Egypt to avoid Arab leaders meeting in Manama at a time the Bahraini capital was full of American troops preparing to invade Iraq. For logistic reasons Egypt then asked for the summit to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh rather than Cairo.