Arab summit opens in Jordan with strict security measures in place
DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. March 29, 2017, 11:05 AM (IDT)
The annual summit of Arab leaders opened Wednesday morning in Jordan. The two-day meeting is being attended by 16 leaders including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and the presidents of Libya, Djibouti, Mauritania, Yemen and Tunisia as well as the rulers of Qatar and the UAE. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Jason Greenblatt, and the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, are participating as well.
Due to security considerations including concern over the possibility of a terrorist attack, the government of Jordan did not disclose the exact location of the gathering, only saying that it is being held south of the capital Amman on the “Dead Sea shores”. In a special announcement, the Jordanian police said that all vehicles or individuals without security permits were banned from the luxury hotel area on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea for 10 days ahead of the event.
DEBKAfile's diplomatic sources report that this is the first time for a senior American official to assume an active role at the Arab summit. Jordanian King Abdullah and Egyptian President el-Sisi are to travel to Washington afterwards for a meeting with President Trump on the results of the gathering.
On Tuesday, DEBKAfile reported exclusively that President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu are expecting the summit to bring dramatic developments in Israel's relations with Arab countries.
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Source: http://www.debka.com/newsupdate/20228/Arab-summit-opens-in-Jordan-with-strict-security-measures-in-place
