Arab summit in Jordan to tackle regional challenges

Jordan has been completing preparations and intensifying security measures ahead of the 28th Ordinary Session of the Arab League Council summit, which will open in the Dead Sea area on Thursday (March 23rd).

Representatives from the league's 22 member countries will address thorny issues facing the region, and are expected to formulate new plans to combat terrorism and enhance development, experts and observers told Al-Mashareq.

This is the fourth time Jordan has hosted the summit, which will continue until March 29th, and this year comes amid extraordinary circumstances and challenges, especially in the political, economic and social spheres.

Discussions are expected to focus on peace in the Middle East, the war on terrorism and terrorist groups in the region -- especially in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya -- joint Arab security co-operation, economic co-operation, the refugee crisis, the high level of unemployment among Arab youth and poverty, among other issues.

At a March 19th press conference in Amman, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit revealed that several resolutions regarding plans and programmes to fight terrorism would be discussed at the summit.

These will be part of a comprehensive approach to address the threat of terrorism in the Middle East, he added, remarking that the summit provides an excellent opportunity for Arabs to come together.

Counter-terror co-operation

The upcoming Arab summit is expected to focus on enhancing joint Arab co-operation in combating terrorism, said strategy analyst Maj. Gen. Adeeb al-Sarayreh, who is retired from the Jordanian military.

This is especially important in light of the rapid developments in the region and continued progress against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in Mosul in Iraq and al-Raqa in Syria, he said.

"The war on terrorism will garner much discussion at the summit, as will the efforts for peace in the Middle East," he said, stressing the need for Arab leaders to come up with a plan to permanently address these issues.

Arab-Arab co-operation must be intensified in any plan to combat terrorism, he added, as restoring stability in the region is not possible while terrorist groups continue to wield influence.

Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies director general Oraib al-Rantawi said he expects there will be strong consensus among Arab countries regarding counter-terrorism efforts.

"Arab leaders will express their support for the efforts being made by the Iraqi side to defeat ISIL and efforts [by other governments] to fight extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and others in Sinai and Yemen," he said.

"This will not be an extraordinary session of the summit or different than others, but comes within the framework of efforts to achieve peace and discuss all the issues and challenges facing Arab countries," he added.

Sustainable development plans

"The challenges in the Middle East, including political challenges and the war on terrorism, cannot be resolved without the existence of plans and programmes for sustainable development to address the economic and social challenges in the region," said economist Hossam Ayesh.

"The war on terrorism and the efforts to bring peace to the Middle East must go hand-in-hand with development plans that help reduce poverty, unemployment and ignorance, as these are the root causes that fuel violence and extremism," he said.

The Arab summit should focus on bolstering co-operation in the areas of trade and investment, he said, as intra-Arab trade amounts to only 10% of the total volume of foreign trade in these countries.

He urged league member states to facilitate the movement of citizens between them in order to enhance economic opportunities.

The Arab summit also provides an opportunity to address the situation of Syrian refugees hosted by neighbouring countries, he said.

"Jordan has reached the saturation point as it hosts about 1.4 million Syrian refugees," Ayesh said.

"The presence of millions of Syrian refugees in countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and others has increased the economic suffering of these countries", he added, calling for increased Arab support in this regard.