In Algiers, Dina Ezzat examines the agenda of the 2005 Arab Summit and takes stock of 60 years of chequered pan-Arabism, interviewing key contemporary players and profiling past luminaries This week Algeria acted as host of the Arab summit for the third time. Earlier Arab summits convened in the Algerian capital, Algiers in 1973, after the 6 October War and in 1988, the beginning of the first Palestinian Intifada. The 2005 Algiers Summit is the 30th Arab summit since the Arab League was established 60 years ago. It is the fifth Arab summit since it was agreed in Cairo, in October 2000, to amend the charter of the pan-Arab organisation by adding an article requiring the annual convocation of the Arab summit in March to mark the anniversary of the launching of the Arab League. Below, Al-Ahram Weekly, offers a brief account of the history of Arab summits, many convened as a reaction to political and military dilemmas and, more often than not, failing to effectively resolve the problems they were meant to settle. Anshas (Alexandria) Summit -- 28 May 1946 : Attended by the heads of seven Arab states the summit declared their commitment to preserving the Arab identity of Palestine against aggressive waves of Jewish immigration. They also vowed to support independence movements in other Arab states. Beirut Summit -- 13 November 1956 : Convened weeks after the Tripartite British-French- Israeli Aggression against Egypt the summit offered support to Egypt in the face of the aggression and stressed Egypt's sovereignty over its territories as a pre-requisite of any settlement of the Suez crisis. The summit also supported the struggle of the Algerian people for independence from French occupation. Cairo Summit -- 13 January 1964 : The first summit ever to convene at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, it was also the first to approach the problems caused by inter-Arab differences. The summit called on the free world to support Arab countries as they faced continuous Israeli aggression. Alexandria Summit -- 5 September 1964 : Welcomed the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and supported its wish to establish the Palestine Liberation Army as part of collective Arab efforts aimed at liberating Palestine -- sooner or later. The summit vowed to combat British imperialism, especially in the Arab Peninsula and underlined the need for Arab countries to coordinate media plans to relay their calls for freedom and independence. Casablanca Summit -- 13 September 1965 : Reiterated calls for independence and Arab unity and adopted a unified Arab plan to defend the Palestinian cause. The summit was boycotted by Tunisia over disagreements with Egypt. Khartoum Summit -- 29 August 1967 : Convened eight weeks after the Arab defeat in the June 1967 War, the summit was a declaration of Arab defiance in the face of Israeli aggression. It vowed that Israel could not expect reconciliation, negotiation or recognition from any Arab country. Rabat Summit -- 21 December 1969 : Convened against the backdrop of bloody Palestinian- Jordanian bloodbaths, the summit called for an end to hostilities between Palestinian fighters and the Jordanian armed forces. Cairo Summit -- 23 September 1970 : Associated in the collective Arab memory with the death of the hero of pan-Arabism, late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser, who died hours after the summit closed. It aimed to end the continuing conflict between Palestinian fighters and Jordanian armed forces and delivered a reconciliation between Jordan's King Hussein and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The summit was boycotted by Iraq, Syria, Algeria and Morocco. Algiers Summit -- 26 November 1973 : Convened a month after the end of the October War the summit acknowledged the intention of Arab countries to make peace with Israel on the basis of two conditions: an end to Israeli occupation of all Arab territories seized in 1967 and the restoration of all inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. Rabat Summit -- 26 October 1974 : Convened to endorse strategies promoting Arab unity across all fronts -- from the media to the military. Riyadh Summit -- 16 October 1976 : Convened against the backdrop of the escalating civil war in Lebanon the summit was attended only by representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. It called for an end to the civil war and reiterated respect for Lebanese sovereignty on the part of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Cairo Summit -- 25 October 1976 : Convened less than two weeks after the Riyadh summit, but with a wider Arab participation it was dedicated to follow up on the nightmarish developments of the civil war in Lebanon. Baghdad Summit -- 2 November 1978 : Convened to demonstrate Arab anger at the decision taken by late president Anwar El-Sadat to sign the Camp David accords with Israel it called on Egypt to revoke the agreements. The summit effectively suspended Egypt's Arab role and prompted the transfer of the headquarters of the Arab League from Cairo to Tunis. Tunis Summit -- 20 November 1979 : Reiterated the collective Arab stance against the Egyptian government. Amman Summit- 25 November 1980 : Convened at one of the most problematic junctures of Arab history with the rift over the Egyptian- Israel peace deal continuing, the Iraq-Iran war in full swing the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The summit restated the Arab boycott imposed on Egypt and declared support for Iraq and Lebanon. Fez Summit -- 25 November 1981 : Convened to debate a proposal by the Saudi monarch King Fahd to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Fahd initiative was similar to the Saudi peace initiative proposed to, and adopted by, Arab leaders in 2002. The summit closed after less than five hours as late Syrian president Hafez Al- Assad refused to accept the terms of the proposed initiative. Fez Summit -- 6 September 1982 : Passed the "Arab proposal for peace with Israel" on the basis of Israeli withdrawal from Arab territories occupied in 1967, the dismantling of illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Arab territory and the compensation of Palestinian refugees who do not wish to return to home towns occupied by Israel. The summit condemned Israel's aggression against Lebanon and the Palestinian people and reiterated support for Iraq in its war with Iran. Casablanca Summit -- 20 August 1985 : Called for Arab reconciliation and witnessed the first signs of Egypt's return to the Arab fold. Amman Summit -- 8 November 1987 : Among the first high-level Arab meetings to condemn international terrorism the summit decided that it was up to individual Arab states to decide whether they should resume diplomatic contacts with Egypt. Algiers Summit -- 7 June 1988 : Convened to declare Arab support for the first Palestinian Intifada and call for an international conference on peace in the Middle East. Casablanca Summit -- 23 May 1989 : Convened with the participation of Egypt, which had retrieved full membership of the Arab League. The summit supported the convocation of an international Middle East Peace conference. Baghdad Summit -- 28 May 1990: Convened weeks before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait it failed to settle outstanding disputes between the two states. Cairo Summit -- 15 August 1990: Convened following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the summit failed to convince Iraq to pull its troops out of Kuwait. The summit condemned the invasion and at the request of Riyadh agreed to send Arab troops to Saudi Arabia. Cairo Summit -- 21 June 1996: Convened despite growing inter-Arab bitterness over disputes related to the management of the Iraqi invasion crisis. The summit declared peace with Israel as an Arab strategic choice. Cairo Summit 2000 -- 21 October 2000: Adopted an amendment of the charter of the Arab League stipulating an annual Arab summit in March, the summit convened against the backdrop of the second Palestinian Intifada. Amman Summit -- 27 March 2001: Adopted a collective Arab call for the re- invigoration of the Arab League. Beirut Summit -- 27 March 2002: Convened as late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat was confined to his Ramallah headquarters on the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the summit adopted the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The initiative offered Israel full relations with all Arab countries in return for its withdrawal from Arab territories occupied in 1967 to allow for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and a fair settlement for the millions of Palestinian refugees. Sharm El-Sheikh Summit -- 1 March 2003: Convened less than three weeks before the US invasion of Iraq the summit adopted a set of resolutions calling on member states to refrain from assisting the foreign occupation of Iraq at a time when neighbouring Gulf countries were playing host to the troops that were preparing to attack Iraq. The summit failed to address a proposal of the United Arab Emirates that then Iraqi president Saddam Hussein resign and leave Iraq to avoid the invasion of his country. Tunis Summit -- 22 May 2004: Convened weeks after an abrupt postponement declared by Tunisian President Zein Al-Abidine Bin Ali on the eve of its scheduled convocation in March 2004, the summit underlined the commitment of Arab states to proceed with reform and modernisation measures in response to the demands of their people. Algiers Summit -- 22 March 2005: Celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Arab League and called for closer Arab ties.
