Arab Foreign Ministers began an extraordinary meeting in Cairo on Thursday to review the current Arab situation and proposals for Arab League's reforms. A League source told KUNA the foreign ministers would be discussing developments in Iraq as general elections are expected in that Arab country by the end of this month and difficulties facing the elections and necessity to back up the political process in Iraq.
According to the source, issues concerning League reforms will be high on the agenda. Arab permanent representatives met in Cairo two days ago when views differed over the proposed reform plans.
A number of countries, including Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sudan and yemen, presented a host of draft resolutions concerning reforms of the Arab League's structure. Jordan and Oman proposed amendments in the league's charter.
Arab league sources spoke about an official memorandum by Oman, opposing the hasty and un-studied planning for reforms of the league.
Arab representatives held intensive discussions over an Algerian suggestion on rotation of the League's Secretary General post. Egypt is said to be opposing the Algerian idea, stressing that the Secretary General should be a qualified person, as stipulated by the charter regardless of his nationality.
On his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Belkhadem said there is no Algerian "sensitiveness" over tabling the suggestion to appoint the Arab League's Secretary General on rotation basis, as an effort to reform the league and its charter. He added that tabling the suggestion does not harm the Egyptian-Algerian relations.
The 14 Arab foreign ministers', members of the follow-up committee, held a meeting Wednesday to follow-up the implementation of the Arab Summit resolutions, held in Tunisia last May.
