Arab League stresses importance of holding next summit on schedule due to grave, fateful developments in Arab world

The Arab League on Saturday insisted on holding its annual summit on March 29 in Baghdad as scheduled due to what it described as "the grave, fateful developments" in the Arab world, after Libya said it was postponed amid deadly protests across the region demanding regime changes.
  
"In the current circumstances, the general secretariat of the Arab League insists on the importance of holding the next summit on schedule... to face the dangerous developments in the Arab world," the league said in a statement.
  
The summit had already been announced for March 29 in Baghdad, but on Thursday Libya, which presides over the summit, said it had decided to push back the date.
  
Baghdad immediately denied Tripoli's claim, saying on Friday that such a postponement was not "an individual decision."

A statement issued from the Arab League headquarters in Cairo said a formal request for the postponement of the summit had yet to be received by the body's general secretariat.

Current circumstances required "the greatest degree of coordination and discussion to deal with the grave, fateful developments which the Arab region is going through," it said.