Saeed Haider

Saudi Gazette

DAMMAM — All educational institutions have been declared close on Sunday for the 29th Arab League summit that opens in Dhahran on Sunday.

Several roads and streets in Al-Khobar, Dhahran and Dammam have also been closed. The traffic department has issued advisory defining routes and approaches that will be closed to general public on Sunday.

Heads of States and dignitaries from Arab League participating countries started arriving on Saturday. They included Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President Mohammed Fuad Masum of Iraq, Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, Tunisian President Béji Caid Essebsi, Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers Fahd Bin Mahmoud Al-Said, Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Head of the Libyan National Reconciliation Government Fayez Mustafa Al-Sarraj, President of Comoros Azali Assoumani, Algerian People’s National Assembly Speaker Abdelkader Bensalah, President Michel Aoun of Lebanon, and Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

They were received at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran by Emir of the Eastern Province Prince Saud Bin Naif and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has already arrived in the Eastern Province to chair the summit.

All five-star hotels in Dammam and Al-Khobar reported near 100% occupancy.

Saudi Armed Forces on Saturday rehearsed guard of honor and national anthems of participating countries at King Abdul Aziz Air base in Dhahran.

Flags of the Arab League, Saudi Arabia and other participating countries have been placed along several routes in Dammam and Al-Khobar. Heavy security is in place at several vital points and in the vicinity of the venue.

A state-of-the-art media center has also been set up in Al-Khobar where a giant screen has been installed to telecast live the proceedings of the summit from the venue.

A large contingent of media persons from across the world will be covering the event.

The summit holds paramount importance in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision to move US embassy to Jerusalem. However, Iranian intervention in the Arab World especially in Yemen and Syria will dominate the proceedings of the summit.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has already clarified that the Qatar issue is a Gulf matter and will not be discussed in the summit.