Arabi replaces Mussa as Arab League chief

The Arab League has delayed a summit that was to be held in Iraq next month as a wave of political unrest rocks the region, its deputy secretary general said on Wednesday.Ahmed Ben Hilli said consultations with the pan-Arab organisation's 22 members showed a "preference to delay the summit" that was scheduled for May 15 and added that an upcoming ministerial meeting would set a new date for summit.The league's outgoing secretary general Amr Mussa had earlier said that it might be best to delay the meeting because of regional unrest.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi is set to become the new head of the Arab League, after Qatar withdrew its candidate -- and only other contender -- from the race, Arab diplomats said on Sunday.Just moments before voting for the head of the 22-member body was due to start, Egypt withdrew the candidacy of Mustafa al-Fikki and nominated Arabi instead, an Arab diplomat said.Fikki, a diplomat under the regime of Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak, had faced strong opposition both on the Egyptian street and from within the 22-member Arab League, sources said.

An Arab summit due to be held in Baghdad next week has been postponed until March 2012, the Arab League chief and Iraq's foreign minister announced on Thursday, after Gulf calls for it to be scrapped."It has been decided to postpone the Baghdad summit until March 2012 at the request of the Republic of Iraq which will retain the right to host the (next) summit," said the 22-member League after talks between its secretary general Amr Mussa and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

The Arab League is willing to host Palestinian reconciliation talks, Secretary General Amr Mussa said on Tuesday after a meeting with Hamas leader Mahmud Zahar in Cairo."The Arab League is willing to host any Palestinian meetings to push forward national reconciliation efforts," Mussa told reporters."There is no justification whatsoever for the continued Palestinian division," he said, stressing the need to "unify Palestinian ranks ahead the current challenges."

Egypt's military leaders met a group including opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei and Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday to discuss upcoming reforms, state media said.The goal was to listen to their views on the current political, economic and social system following the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak on February 11 after weeks of protests, the state news agency MENA said.

The Arab League opened a summit in Libya on Saturday with the pressing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Sudan added to the original agenda, its secretary general Amr Mussa said."Two important issues, Sudan and the Arab-Israeli conflict," were added to the agenda of the gathering being held behind closed doors of a dozen Arab leaders, Mussa said.Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir would submit reports to the summit, which would also be attended by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Arab League chief Amr Mussa, the most high-profile candidate for Egypt's vacant presidency, on Wednesday formally called for a 'no' vote in a weekend referendum on constitutional changes."Rejecting the constitutional amendments is the right decision for the voters heading to polling stations," Mussa said in a statement ahead of Saturday's vote.The changes "do not meet the ambitions of the Egyptian people who dream of a new democratic era," he said.

Egypt, which has had turbulent relations with Iran for more than three decades, says it is ready to open a "new page" with the Islamic republic, Egyptian media reported Tuesday."Egypt has opened a new page with all countries of the world, including Iran," Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi was quoted as saying by the local media."The Egyptian and Iranian people deserve relations which reflect their history and civilisation, provided they are based on mutual respect of state sovereignty and non-interference of any kind in internal affairs."