Egypt

Absent leaders at the Arab summit; What were their reasons?

With the Arab League holding its 26th summit in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, primarily to discuss the turmoil in Yemen, some Arab leaders were absent from the event for multiple reasons:
 
1-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
 
Syria’s membership in the Arab League has been suspended over President Assad's crackdown on the four-year uprising against his regime, which left hundreds of thousands dead.
 
2-Lebanon’s president
 
Lebanon has failed to elect a new president 20 times since Michel Sleiman’s term ended in May 2014.
 
3-Libya’s president
 
Libya has not elected a president since the ouster of former longtime leader Muammar al-Qadhafi.
 
4-Algeria’s president
 
While Algeria did not officially justify its absence, it is known that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has suffered from poor health over the past few years, appearing in a wheelchair during the inauguration of his fourth term in April 2014.
 
5-Oman’s King
 
Sultan Qabus bin Said came back recently from an eight-month medical trip to Germany.
 
6-Morocco’s king
 
Morocco did not declare the reasons behind King Mohammed VI’s absence.
 
7-President of Comoros
 
No reasons were officially given for President Ikililou Dhoinine’s absence.
 
8-UAE president
 
The United Arab Emirates, a major participant in the strikes on Yemen, has not stated the reason for President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's absence at the summit.
 
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 
 
 

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