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After being postponed three times due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 31st Arab Summit will kick off on Tuesday in Algiers with the aim of “reuniting Arabs and addressing current security and food challenges”. This summit comes in light of the fragmentation and wars in the Arab region and at a time when Moroccan-Algerian relations have deteriorated to the extreme. Will Arab leaders be able to turn the page on differences and unify vision and efforts to overcome challenges, or, once again, “will Arabs agree to disagree”?
Unify Arab ranks and reunify to cope with new international changes, resolve Arab crises, especially the Palestinian question, reform the Arab League and achieve Arab food security in light of high commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine and the “residues” of the Corona virus pandemic …
These are some of the files that Arab leaders and presidents will discuss 31st Arab Summit hosted by Algeria on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the capital. While many countries – particularly the Gulf countries – will not be represented by their leaders. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the de facto ruler of the kingdom – has officially apologized for attending due to an ear health problem.
food crisis The Palestinian question is at the center of the discussions
The organization of this summit was born in the light of fragmentation and ferocious wars in the Arab region, such as Yemen and Syria, and of armed conflicts, both in Libya and Somalia, as well as other regional conflicts.
Last Sunday was the last day of the preparatory meetings attended by foreign ministers from 22 Arab countries, during which they discussed the agenda of the summit, which Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra called “success”.
Lamamra said the meeting of Arab foreign ministers made it possible to achieve “consensual results” after “rich and in-depth consultations”, noting that “these results could facilitate the work of leaders”. information on the nature of such consultations.
He also praised “the patience and constructive positive spirit that prevailed in the consultations”, expressing the hope that “we will all be able to work to build a broader consensus that allows Unification of all Arab countries and by unifying its ranks and efforts to resolve the acute crises our Arab region is experiencing, which has made it an arena of conflict between many foreign powers.
For his part, the secretary general of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said: “The summit awaits a realistic translation of the Algiers agreement (for Palestinian reconciliation) and the commitment of the Palestinian parties to its provisions.”
He added that “the reality of crises must occupy an important place on the agenda of the summit. The food crisis is an important priority and we hope to launch a strategy to achieve food security”.
In an interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA), Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed the hope that “the summit hosted by his country is a new beginning for joint Arab action”, stressing that “the Palestinian cause is the mother of all issues at all times “, hoping that” the summit of Algeria will help “to bring it back to the center of Arab and international attention.
Regarding the Arab presence and representation, the Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Hossam Zaki, envisaged “the participation of 15 Arab leaders, including kings, presidents and princes”, including the emir of the state of Qatar.
Regarding the files on the agenda of the summit, the same official added in an interview with the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm: “There are on the agenda a number of political issues related to Arab issues and crises or topics. which Arab leaders believe should be discussed, and include a wide range of crises in our region, as is well known, as there are situations in some countries that need decisions to support them. “
“It is difficult for Arab leaders to reach a consensus within two days Alone”
He continued: “There are other items on the agenda top partThere is also a decision on maintaining Arab national security and combating terrorism, as well as a series of decisions presented by the Economic and Social Council and new actions presented by delegations from different countries.
According to Jamal Alilat, former journalist of the Algerian French-language newspaper “Al-Watan”, the main goal Algeria wants to achieve is “to return to the international scene after a long absence and restore its traditional position”, noting that Algeria must make great efforts to persuade Arab leaders to participate in the summit in a meaningful and high-level way, on the one hand, and reach consensual solutions on current issues, on the other.
To a question: Can Arab leaders put aside their traditional differences and map out a successful and unified Arab future strategy, the Algerian journalist replied: “Given the profound differences that characterize the Arab ranks, it seems difficult for Arab leaders to reach consensus within only two Mainly because the interests of some countries do not intersect with the interests of other countries, first of which is the “Abrahamic Agreement”, which sanctioned the normalization of relations of some Arab countries with Israel, while other countries they reject this step.
“The Algeria summit will be no different from the rest of the previous Arab summits”.
Jamal Alilat expressed the hope that the Algerian delegation will meet the Moroccan at the table to resolve the differences. “We should organize a meeting between the two countries at a high level because they are tired of the cold war in which they have lived for years and of mutual hatred”.
As for Abdelaziz Munif bin Razen, political analyst and member of the Saudi Journalists Association, he does not expect much from the Algiers summit. He told France 24:Summit of Algeria It will be no different from the rest of the previous Arab summits. This means that it will come out with the same detachments and recommendations as the previous summits.
As for Hosni Abidi, director of the Center for Research and Studies on the Arab World and the Mediterranean in Geneva, he believes that the possible presence of King Mohammed VI of Morocco at the summit will steal the limelight from the others, because this restores trust between the two. villages.
In an interview with the weekly Le Journal Dudimanche, Abidi said: “Even if his brother Prince Rachid or Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch represented him, this step would be interpreted as the lesser evil. But if Morocco only participated with its minister. of Foreign Nasser Bourita, this means that there is no one there, desire to turn the page on the differences.
According to Mustapha Tousa, Deputy Director of Radio Monte Carlo International, King Mohammed VI “will not travel to Algeria to attend the summit and that his Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita will act on his behalf”.
As for Youssef Chehab, professor of Geostrategy and International Development at the University of the Syrians, it is certain that the king of Morocco “will not go to Algeria”. He told France 24: “Since the leaders of the Gulf states will not attend the summit, he too will not come to Algeria because he cannot be separated from them.”
He continued: “If some think that the Moroccan king will go to Algeria to revive relations between the two countries, this will not happen. Algeria wants to get out of its isolation and the difficult situation it finds itself in”, concluding: “L ‘Algeria- Moroccan differences are profound “. Will the “Algeria summit” be able to relaunch Arab relations, or will it be a summit like the previous thirty?
France 24
