100,000 security elements deployed for Arab Summit

[Carrello]

100,000 security elements deployed in Baghdad to protect Arab summit

20/03/2012 12:51

aknews.com

BAGHDAD, March 20 (AKnews) - Some 100,000 security members charged with protecting the security of the Arab leaders have been deployed, said the Office of the Commander General of the Iraqi armed forces yesterday.

The office noted that the security personnel operate under the direct supervision of the Commander in Chief of the armed forces PM Nouri al-Maliki.

Spokesman for the office, the Defense Ministry and the Baghdad Operations Command Colonel Dia al-Wakil said the measures are capable of protecting the security of Arab leaders.

On the subject of imposing a curfew in Baghdad during the Arab summit, Wakil said that the issue depends on the circumstances at the time. Until now there are no details in this regard, he said.

Maliki, the commander of the armed forces, approved the final plan presented by the security committee overseeing the protection of the Arab summit.

The Iraqi government is expected to start receiving the delegations for the Arab summit early next week, and confirmed that all preparations for the summit have now reached the final stages.

The security and defense commission in the Iraqi Council of Representatives stated that there is an urgent need to discuss the issue of ending the presence of "terrorism" during the summit, whether such a presence be in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Qatar or other countries.

Vice chairman of the commission Iskandar Wattout said: "There's support from some Arab countries to finance terrorism and discussing the issue of stop the sources of terrorism during the Arab summit is an urgent need.

"The terrorism in Iraq is also financed from the inside, for example there are reports of traders in Mosul city who pay contributions to the terrorists."

Iraq has yet to receive a refusal from any Arab country to participate in the summit. All countries and states are expected to attend, except for Syria, which suspended its participation due to the continuing suppression of the protest movement launched a year ago.

The Arab summit is scheduled to be held on March 29 and preparatory procedures for the event will begin in Cairo on March 21.

Iraq has hosted the Arab summit twice in the history of the Arab League - first in 1978 and again in 1990. Iraq will host the 23rd summit.

By Haider Ibrahim

RN/DM/AKnews