Internal bickering could thwart a united stand

Sirte, Libya: Arab states are preparing a summit to "save" occupied Jerusalem from Israel and want urgent action to promote Palestinian reconciliation and boost international pressure to ease or lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Heads of state from the 22-member Arab League meet in Libya today against a background of deepening alarm about the impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

King Abdullah of Jordan set the tone by warning on Thursday that Israel was "playing with fire" by expanding colonies in occupied East Jerusalem, the source of tensions between Israel and the Obama administration as well as Arab anger.

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad seeking to bridge the gap with the pro-western camp in the region also called on the Arab world to close ranks and "rescue [occupied] Jerusalem from Israeli schemes".

But worries about the summit host, the unpredictable Muammar Gaddafi, and the conspicuous absences of several key leaders, suggest it will be hard to resolve bitter inter-Arab disputes. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is staying away, as is the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, who is recovering from surgery.

That augurs badly for attempts to promote reconciliation between the western-backed Palestinian Fatah movement and its rival Hamas, which opposes negotiations with Israel but controls the Gaza Strip.

The summit is being held in Sirte in central Libya, Gaddafi's hometown, which is decked with banners proclaiming: ‘The time is not for disputes', ‘We must work together', and ‘The interest of the [Arab] nation rises above all differences'.

Pointless

Amr Mousa, the Arab League's secretary-general, suggested that any talks with Israel were pointless and should be suspended. But diplomats say the summit is unlikely to formally withdraw the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which offers Israel recognition in exchange for a return to the 1967 borders and a just resolution of the Palestinian issue.

The emerging Arab consensus is that there can be no peace agreement for the Palestinians or Syria with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud and his foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, but that future Israeli governments may prove more amenable.

"There's a lot of talk about renewing the three noes of Khartoum [an Arab summit that rejected any dealings with Israel after the 1967 war] but I don't believe that," said Sami Moubayed, a Syrian analyst. "If there's any excitement it will come from Gaddafi."

The Libyan leader has a history of flamboyant behaviour at summits, and he is likely to be in combative mood on his home turf.

Iraq on Thursday ordered its foreign minister to boycott the summit in protest at a meeting between Gaddafi and former members of Saddam Hussain's Baath party. However, the issue was resolved and Iraq said it will attend the summit.

The leaders of Lebanon, Yemen and Oman are also staying at home, and there is uncertainty about Morocco and Algeria.

The US and Britain are urging their Arab allies to work within the current framework for Middle East peace, arguing that there is no substitute for talks.