Arab leaders meet to address conflicts and 'terror'

Arab leaders are set to meet in Jordan on Wednesday for their annual summit with no expected breakthrough on resolving conflicts or "terrorism" in the region. Saudi Arabia's King Salman is among 22 leaders attending the Arab League for the meeting in Sweimeh on the Dead Sea coast from 0900 GMT.

UN chief Antonio Guterres and his special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, are also expected to be present. The leaders are set to discuss the wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, the fight against "terrorism" and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Jordan's information minister. "I think this summit won't be any different from the previous Arab summits," said Oraib al-Rantawi, head of the Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies.

"The Arab (political) system is weak, divided and has been plagued by defects for years," he said. "No breakthrough is expected," he added.