The annual Arab League summit was sharply divided even before it began in Sudan today, with late-night wrangling over the wording of the final declaration and the absence of a number of key leaders at a meeting meant to tackle the region’s tricky problems.

A two-day Arab summit opened today in the Sudanese capital Khartoum with several key leaders, including regional heavyweights President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, staying away.