Arab League delays annual summit

CAIRO: The Arab League has announced it is delaying its annual summit scheduled for March 22 in Algiers because of Covid-19 after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic.

"Every year, the summit is held in March, but this year, there has been a delay," the pan-Arab organisation’s assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki, said in televised remarks Friday, a week after returning to Cairo from a visit to Algiers.

The last Arab League summit was held in Tunis in March 2019. The past two years’ gatherings have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Zaki added that Algeria "preferred the option" of delaying the summit, noting that the critical mass of Arab leaders and high-ranking officials needed for the summit could not be guaranteed due to the public health situation.