By Ulises Canales, Prensa Latina
Damascus : Foreign ministers from the 22 country members of the Arab League are heading to Syria to attend a ministerial meeting prior to the Summit on March 29 and 30.
The ambitious and complicated Summit agenda will cover key historic and current regional issues like the Arab-Israel conflict and the war in Iraq.
Also of interest are the latest Palestinian developments, the Arab Peace Initiative, Syria ó s demand to Israel to return the Golan Heights and its rejection of US unilateral sanctions.
There is talk of several guests addressing the crisis in Lebanon although it is not on the agenda, plus Arab national security, and support to regional peace.
The agenda will cover as well Arab unity to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction and development and unity in Sudan, Somalia and Comoro Islands.
Reliable sources rate as non-stop the arrival of head diplomats from almost all of the 22 ALO member countries at the international airport of Damascus.
Among the early comers are Foreign Ministers Murad Madlasi (Algeria) and Yousef Ben Alawi (Oman), and Nimr Hamad, advisor for the president of the Palestinian National Authority, plus advance parties from other delegations.
In spite of the absence of Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faysal, Lebanon rejected the invitation and Egypt has not announced its representation, and the climate is already auspicious.
Syria considers that the massive arrival of Arab personalities confirms the failure of US and EU pressures on ALO members to boycott the Summit, taking the political crisis on Lebanon as pretext.