The Arab Summit postponed till further notice due to a mix of Disagreements and Obstacles
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Roshan Amiri
- . February 3, 2022
- . Update: February 4, 2022 1:54 pm
Algeria– Many impediments are preventing the Arab summit from taking place in Algeria, which might lead to its cancellation. This comes in the wake of growing disagreements between the host country and the Arab League. On Tuesday, informed sources told The Arab Weekly that no agreement has been reached on the agenda for the summit, which would bring together foreign ministers, presidents, and kings.
Algeria, which has been trying to expand its political sphere of influence amid rising tensions with Morocco and diplomatic losses, looks to be in difficulty due to its inability to reach an early agreement on the summit’s agenda. Despite Kuwait’s support for the summit, conflicts over the date and the topics to be covered have put the League in an unprecedented bind, jeopardizing the entire process due to rising tensions among various parties.
Algerian diplomats have previously raised two specific problems, Syria’s readmission to the Arab League and the realization of Palestinian national reconciliation, both of which are now being discussed. However, due to Palestinians’ differing stances, such negotiations may come to a halt. Aside from that, several Arab nations continue to oppose Syria’s readmission to the Arab League. Such elements throw the summit’s preparations into chaos. “The Arab foreign ministers addressed the Syrian situation,” said Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, “but the topic of Syria’s readmission to the League of Arab States was not broached.”
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As a result, Algerian diplomacy is facing a severe challenge as a result of growing divisions, prompting several political and media leaders to doubt the summit’s likelihood, at least in the near future. Despite the backing it has received from Egypt, several regional analysts believe Algeria would be unable to get widespread involvement from Arab leaders. A number of thorny topics continue to obstruct the smooth preparations for the summit. While comments in Arab capitals give the appearance that there is little opposition to Syria rejoining the Arab League, there is still no agreement on other topics, such as the Arab-Israeli normalization process and the Algeria-Rabat bilateral conflict.
While Algeria would want to present itself as the anti-normalisation leader, the number of Arab countries seeking to normalize relations with Israel appears to be growing. According to recent sources, continued Israeli-Libyan negotiations are taking place in preparation for a normalization statement between the two countries. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah said on the margins of an Arab foreign ministers conference that his nation “would be the first to join in the Algiers summit and the last to depart it.” The future of Gulf-Lebanese ties was also at the top of the Kuwaiti diplomat’s concerns.
“The Algerian Foreign Minister had put out a certain date, and I am not in a position to divulge this date, therefore there is no agenda so far,” Aboul Gheit said of the Arab summit’s timetable. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra recently stated that “the Arab foreign ministers will announce the date of the Arab summit in March.” While no topic for this year’s gathering has been set, the Arab world continues to be wracked by wars and crises. These range from Yemen’s civil war, which has killed roughly 400,000 people since 2015, to Sudan’s 2021 coup, which led to the country’s suspension from the African Union, as well as long-running problems in Libya, Lebanon, and elsewhere.
Algeria has increased its diplomatic relations throughout the Arab world in recent months in the hopes of persuading the area’s leaders to attend the summit, analysts say, with the intention of bolstering the North African country’s diplomatic stature in the region and domestic credibility.
