Qatar on Thursday continued preparations for a proposed Arab summit in Doha on the Gaza crisis as the first heads of state arrived for Friday's meeting despite continuing doubt whether it will go ahead.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir was the first leader to arrive, according to Qatar's official news agency QNA, while Mauritanian state press agency AMI reported that General Ould Abdel Aziz, leader of the junta that seized power last August, had set off from Nouakchott for Qatar.
Arab League chief Amr Mussa said in Kuwait late on Wednesday that a quorum of 15 countries to hold a summit in Doha had not been achieved, as only 13 of the 22 member states had agreed to attend. The apparent split between Arab leaders was highlighted by Saudi Arabia's decision to stage a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on Thursday.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI hit out angrily on Thursday at the Arab world's failure to respond in a united way over Gaza and ruled out his attendance either at the Doha meeting on Friday or an Arab economic summit in Kuwait next week. The king issued a statement condemning "a pathetic Arab situation that had achieved a state of disrepair without precedent in the history of common Arab action."
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani repeated his invitation for Arab countries to attend the Doha summit on Friday to discuss the Gaza Strip. He called for Arab countries to create a fund for Gaza's reconstruction and pledged his country would contribute 250 million dollars to the fun.
In a televised address, he urged Arab nations to reconsider their diplomatic ties with Israel in response to the attacks on Gaza, where more than 1,100 people have been killed and a further 5,000 people have been wounded since Israel began its offensive on December 27.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir was the first leader to arrive, according to Qatar's official news agency QNA, while Mauritanian state press agency AMI reported that General Ould Abdel Aziz, leader of the junta that seized power last August, had set off from Nouakchott for Qatar.
Arab League chief Amr Mussa said in Kuwait late on Wednesday that a quorum of 15 countries to hold a summit in Doha had not been achieved, as only 13 of the 22 member states had agreed to attend. The apparent split between Arab leaders was highlighted by Saudi Arabia's decision to stage a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh on Thursday.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI hit out angrily on Thursday at the Arab world's failure to respond in a united way over Gaza and ruled out his attendance either at the Doha meeting on Friday or an Arab economic summit in Kuwait next week. The king issued a statement condemning "a pathetic Arab situation that had achieved a state of disrepair without precedent in the history of common Arab action."
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani repeated his invitation for Arab countries to attend the Doha summit on Friday to discuss the Gaza Strip. He called for Arab countries to create a fund for Gaza's reconstruction and pledged his country would contribute 250 million dollars to the fun.
In a televised address, he urged Arab nations to reconsider their diplomatic ties with Israel in response to the attacks on Gaza, where more than 1,100 people have been killed and a further 5,000 people have been wounded since Israel began its offensive on December 27.
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