The Arab media is reporting on Qatar's attempts to call an emergency Arab summit on Gaza, in the face of Saudi-Egyptian efforts to prevent such a conference.
The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar said that Saudi Arabia and Egypt were pressuring Morocco, Libya, and Lebanon to withdraw their support for holding a summit.
A two-thirds majority, or 15 countries, must commit to participating for the summit to be convened.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia announced a conference, held today in Riyadh, of the GCC, discussing the Gaza crisis.
Qatari sources told the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi that if no majority is attained, it will either cancel it or convene it on a smaller scale, to include some Arab leaders and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamid bin Khalifa Al-Thani said that his country had already prepared practical proposals for the emergency summit, including the establishment of a fund for rehabilitating Gaza, with $250 million from Qatar; the suspension of the Arab peace initiative; a halt to normalization with Israel; and trying Israel for war crimes against humanity.
(See also " Arab World Split Over Summits On Gaza Crisis.)
Sources: Al-Rai, Qatar; Al-Akhbar, Lebanon; Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, January 15, 2009
