Iraq keeps right to host next Arab summit

BAGHDAD /Iraqi News Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stressed on Iraq’s right to host the coming Arab summit in accordance with the decision of the last year’s Doha summit. This came during Zebari’s participation in the Arab Summit on Thursday (March 25) in Sirte in Libya. “It is Iraq’s right to host the next summit next year,” Zebari told reporters. “The security situation is improving and we hope that by next year we will be able to host the summit.” For their part, heads of Arab delegations expressed welcome over Iraq’s hosting to the next Arab summit. The foreign ministers voiced keenness over the progress of the political process in the country and the improvement of democracy and security in Iraq, according to a statement of the foreign ministry received by Iraqi News. Zebari carried on his participation in the meetings of the Arab Summit convening in Libya. Zebari had received a call from Baghdad to come back to Iraq on Thursday evening after the end of the preliminary meetings. However, Zebari stayed in the summit stressing that withdrawing from the same is not an option anymore and Iraq will participate in the important Summit and hopes that it would be successful. Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki had asked Zebari to leave Libya after the end of the meetings on Thursday and to lower the level of Iraqi participation as a protest against the fact that the Libyan President Muammar Al Gaddafi received a delegation of the Iraqi opposition. Zebari also said “we heard clarifications from the Libyan side” and that later he spoke to the Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and was instructed to continue participating in the summit. The Iraqi delegation included former oil minister Issam Shalabi as well as ex-Baathist Salah Omar al-Ali, the agency said. SH (S) 1