Tunisia agrees to host next month Arab summit

By: Sultan Ahmed

CAIRO, Egypt: An Arab League official announced that Tunisia has agreed to host the next Arab summit, scheduled for the last week of March.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Habib ben Yahia telephoned the Cairo-based organization’s secretary general, Amr Mussa, to inform him of Tunisia's decision, Egypt's official news agency MENA quoted Hossam Zaki as saying.

The Arab League chief held talks in Tunis on Thursday with President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia, fearful that the meeting could descend into inter-Arab quarrelling that has marred past meetings had been reluctant to organize the event.

According to the rules of the 22-member pan-Arab organization, member states take turns hosting the annual summit in alphabetical order, but when a country reneges, the meeting is held in Egypt.

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