Arab summit opens with sharp divisions over final communique

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.

Although regional heavyweights Egypt and Saudi Arabia did not send their heads of state to Khartoum, Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived shortly before the meeting began, countering earlier reports that he would also not attend.