Tunisia and the Arab Summit

During this Summit, emphasis will be laid on a number of issues, in the forefront of which the development of the League of Arab States and the system of joint Arab Action, the question of reform, development and modernization in the Arab world, and the promotion of joint Arab economic action. This in addition to important political issues, particularly the Palestinian cause and the situation in Iraq.

This Summit will look into the adoption of a number of documents, chief among which the Arab Human Rights Charter, the Declaration on the process of development and modernization in the Arab world, and the Tunis Declaration.

Through its excellent preparation for the Summit and its intensive coordination and contacts with all Arab states, Tunisia has been keen on ensuring optimum conditions for the success of the Summit, so that this meeting can come out with results that are up to the great challenges and stakes posed on the Arab scene, and are capable of conferring further credibility and seriousness on joint Arab action.

In preparing for the Summit, Tunisia has profoundly and minutely studied its content, particularly through:

*The consultations it has held with sisterly Arab countries, during the visits paid by the President's special envoys to his brothers the Arab kings, Presidents and Emirs.
*The phone conversations that the President has had with many Arab Leaders.
*The visits paid by many Arab officials to Tunis.
*The visits paid by the Arab League Secretary General to Tunis, and the audience he was granted by the President of the Republic.

These activities have allowed to deepen consultations on the content of the Summit agenda and to define the priority issues to be examined and submitted to the Arab Leaders, so as to reach decisions that meet the aspirations and expectations of the Arab peoples, and serve the supreme interests of the Arab countries.

Following the visit paid by the Arab League Secretary General to Tunis on February 12, 2004, it was announced that Tunisia would play host to the 16th Arab Summit.

During the preparatory ministerial meetings held in Tunis on March 26-27, 2004 and in Cairo on May 8-10, 2004, it was agreed on the draft resolutions and documents to be submitted to the Summit. The most important resolutions concern the Palestinian cause and the Arab-Israeli conflict, the situation in Iraq, the Arab Human Rights Charter, the promotion of the Economic and Social Council, the Arab anti-poverty strategy, and the "Declaration on the process of development and modernization in the Arab world".

Following the preparatory ministerial meeting held in Cairo on May 10, 2004, it was announced that the Summit will be held in Tunis on May 22-23, 2004.

Accordingly, the Summit meetings schedule is set as follows:

* May 21: arrival of Arab Leaders in Tunis.
* May 22: opening of the 16th Arab Summit.
* May 23: closing of the Summit.

Following the visits paid by the President's special envoys to his brothers the Arab Leaders, Tunisia received from many of them confirmations as to their participation in the Summit at the head of high-ranking delegations, and their appreciation of holding the Summit in Tunis.

It is expected that the 16th Summit proceedings be marked by the sense of consensus for which Tunisia and its leadership is known, and constitute a new starting point and a quantum leap in the process of joint Arab action.