AP, Baghdad, April 20, 2011 – The Arab League on Wednesday postponed the group`s summit scheduled for next month in Baghdad، angering many Iraqis who see it as retaliation over Iraq`s support for Shiites in the island kingdom of Bahrain.
The announcement by Ahmed bin Heli، the 22-member group`s deputy chief، follows a request by Gulf nations to cancel the May 10-11 event because of political unrest across the region.
But tensions over the fate of the island kingdom of Bahrain، where protests by the mostly Shiite population were put down with the aid of neighboring Saudi Arabia، have added a sectarian dimension to the debate.
Many Gulf countries have sided with the Sunni rulers in Bahrain while Iraq، which is majority Shiite، has been adamant in its support of the protesters.
’The postponement is a negative and illegal step and it contradicts the Arab League principles. Some Gulf states were upset by some statements and stances by Iraqi people and politicians on the Bahrain uprising and used these stances as a pretext to prevent the holding of the summit in Iraq،’ said Abdul-Hadi al-Hassani، a Shiite lawmaker aligned with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Iraq`s deputy foreign minister، Labid Abawi، struck a softer tone، saying Baghdad had hoped the summit would be held on time but that the majority of league members wanted it postponed over tensions in the region. He said another meeting will be held May 15 to decide on a new date.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said he is prepared to postpone but not cancel the summit.
Another league official says the summit will probably be held in September. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn`t authorized to speak to the media.
The summit، first scheduled for March، was initially delayed amid security concerns in Iraq and because it was unclear which Arab leaders could come while the region was in turmoil. Though disappointed، many Iraqis took that delay in stride.
The new postponement threatens to worsen already tense relations between Sunnis and Shiites in the region.Gulf countries have been angry at Iraq`s support for mostly Shiite demonstrators in Bahrain، who had been lobbying for a greater say in their country`s government.
The protest movement was quashed when neighboring Saudi Arabia sent hundreds of armored vehicles and personnel into the island kingdom of Bahrain in support of its Sunni leadership.
Saudi Arabia has its own Shiite population in the eastern part of the country where the main oil resources are and also worries about the rising influence of Iran in the region.
Both Iran and Iraq have Shiite dominated governments، and many Sunni Arab countries، especially Saudi Arabia and others in the Gulf، worry that Iran is spreading its influence through Iraq.
’For sure، calling off the summit or the attempts to call off the summit will negatively affect Iraq`s relations with Arab countries،’ said Khalid al-Asadi، a Shiite lawmaker with al-Maliki`s State of Law coalition. He said sectarian issues played a role in the summit`s delay.
But Sunni lawmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq said Iraqi politicians were also to blame for the postponement.’They should have looked at Iraq`s internal problems instead of thinking of what is going on in Bahrain. The last thing Iraq needs is disputes and problems with other countries،’ he said.
The Arab League summit was considered by many Iraqi officials as an opportunity to show off the strides the country has made since the height of the U.S.-led war، and they have spent millions of dollars refurbishing buildings and hotels in anticipation of the meeting.__Associated Press writers Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad، Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman، Jordan and Maggie Michael in Cairo contributed to this report.