Iraq has declared its total rejection of a proposal to hold the next Arab summit in Cairo. The summit was originally scheduled to be held in Baghdad in March.
“We will host the summit in our country,” insisted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, adamantly refusing that the scheduled summit be convened elsewhere.
“We will make every possible effort to ensure the safety of Arab leaders,” he said at a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on Saturday.
In response to a question as to whether Iraq would agree to preside over the summit in the event it was held in another country, Zebari stressed that convening the event in the war-torn country would offer "an opportunity to embrace Iraq and strengthen its role in the Arab and Islamic world."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
