Syrian Opposition's Representation to Doha Arab Summit to be Discussed Tomorrow,Says Ben Hilli

Doha, March 23 (QNA) - Ahmed Ben Hilli, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League, has said the representation of the Syrian opposition to the Arab summit due to open in Doha on Tuesday, March 26 is now under discussions and will be discussed tomorrow, Sunday at the Arab foreign ministers'preparatory meeting of the summit. Speaking to reporters following the meeting of the permanent representatives and senior officials of member countries of the Arab League which opened here earlier Saturday morning , Ben Hilli said ," at present there are still consultations among the arab leaders and officials concerned over the representation of the syrian oppiosition to the summit." Elaborating he said that the meeting of the permanent representatives and senior officials of member countries of the Arab League has not dealt with such a topic..."They agreed to refer the issue to the arab ministerial meeting tomorrow and the matter will be decided on tomorrow", Bin Hilli told reporters. The meeting of the permanent representatives and senior officials of member countries of the Arab League concluded here Saturday and it will prepare for the foreign ministers' preparatory meeting to the 24th regular session of the Arab summit to open in Doha next Tuesday. Qatar took over the presidency of the meeting from Iraq, the president of the 23rd session of the Arab Summit. Syrian opposition leaders are to address an annual summit of the Arab League for the first time in Qatar on Tuesday, but the bloc s members remain divided over whether to give them Damascus s vacant seat. In all, nine of the bloc s other 21 members retain diplomatic missions in Damascus, namely Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Sudan and Yemen, despite its decision last November to recognise the National Coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The Arab League suspended Syria s membership in November 2011 after Damascus rejected a peace plan proposal calling for an end to the violence but demanding that Assad step down. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 70,000 people since March 2011, prompted more than a million to flee abroad, and displaced four million more inside the country. Still speaking to reporters Ahmed Ben Hilli, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League, said a set of draft resolutions pertaining to the tables listed on the agenda inter-alia the Palestinian cause, the latest developments in Syria and other issues the Arab ministers of economy and finance including the social affairs which contained an illiteracy strategy of the Arab woman. The Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League further said that some other draft resolutions set for the restructure of the Arab League and upgrading its performance, in light of the adhoc committee which was formed of all the member states to be in charge of studying a relevant report submitted by the independent commission chaired by Lakhdar Brahimi to upgrade the Arab league and restructing it . Ben Hilli made clear that these draft resolutions would referred tomorrow, Sunday to the Arab foreign ministers who will in turn add other draft resolutions since the agenda is wide open. Other issues would be taken up such as the establishing of an Arab human rights court and improving obstacles for setting up a greater arab free trade zone , said Ben Hilli. In their preparatory meeting in Doha yesterday , "the Arab ministers of economy and finance submitted a set of recommendations would help each member states to remove all obstacles hindering the setting up of a Greater Arab Free Trade Zone before the end of 2013 so as it , each state, gets ready to enter the second stage in 2015 , namely the Customs Union and then the Arab Common Market in 2010 if things run in the right path", the Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League told reporters. (END)