Cairo — A summit of Arab leaders has been postponed by a year to March 2012 because of turmoil in the region, but will still be held in Iraq as originally planned, the Arab League said on Thursday.
Mass demonstrations demanding political reforms have toppled the long-time leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and are challenging rulers elsewhere in the region, changing the political map of the Middle East.
The region's heads of state were supposed to meet in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in March to discuss the popular unrest.
Gulf Arab states asked the League to cancel this year's summit after Iraq criticized Bahrain's crackdown on Shia protesters, Bahrain's foreign minister has said.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa told Reuters new date was communicated to all Arab League members and there was agreement among them.
Asked about the reason for the delay, Moussa said: "That is upon the formal request of the government of Iraq."
In a statement, the League said that postponing the meeting until next March will "ensure the summit would offer results sufficient for the ambitions of the Arab people for reform."
