The Arab socio-economic summit is due to kick off this morning in Kuwait City. It will be attended by 17 Arab head of states, some prime ministers and representatives of the civil society organizations which have contributed to the summit preparations. Arab sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the summit would discuss one political item, notably the situation in Gaza, adding that a new split among the Arabs is looming because of the different resolutions adopted at the Doha summit and the foreign minister meeting held in Kuwait. At a press conference held yesterday, the Kuwaiti Information Minister Sabah Khalid al-Sabah described the summit as unprecedented, as official bodies and civil society organizations had all contributed to its preparations. He also pointed out that the summit would urge the international community to apply international pacts and conventions on all Israeli practices and its aggression on Gaza. Al-Sabah also affirmed that the draft resolutions put forward yesterday would change Arab financial and development institutions. In response to a question over the invitation addressed to the outgoing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the summit, al-Sabah said Kuwait applies all the regulations applied by the Arab League, especially with regard to sending invitations to attend the summit. He denied that Kuwaiti political parties' call not to invite Mahmoud Abbas had had any effect. Egypt's Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Rashid said the Kuwait summit had also a political dimension which made it even more important. He pointed out that in light of the current difficult regional and international situation, the importance of the economic dimension in the Arab-Israeli conflict can not be belittled. He then added that political efforts could be complemented by actions to exploit Arab countries' wealth in order to improve peoples' living conditions. At the summit preparatory session, several new draft resolutions were announced concerning electricity and gas connection in the Persian Gulf and North Africa.
