The wives of Arab leaders began arriving here Friday for the first ever regional summit of first ladies, among them Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's wife, Soha, airport officials said.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, who is hosting the summit, was at the airport to meet Soha Arafat as well as Fatima al-Beshir, wife of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, and Lebanon's first lady, Andree Lahoud.
Sabika al-Khalifa, wife of Bahrain's emir Sheikh Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, and Sheikha Latifa, wife of Kuwait's Crown Prince Saad al-Abdallah al-Sabah, also arrived at the head of their countries' delegations.
Delegations from Syria and Iraq also arrived, headed by officials of women's groups in those countries.
A total of nine Arab first ladies from the Arab League's 22 member states were expected for the summit, which is expected to voice backing for the Palestinians' new uprising against Israel, organizers have said.
Participants are also due to discuss the effects of cultural heritage on the role of women in Arab society as well as ways of encouraging women to take part in political life in the Arab world -- CAIRO (AFP)
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