Doha  - Egyptian Minister of State for Legal Affairs Mufid Shehab, representing his country at an Arab League summit in Qatar in lieu of President Hosny Mubarak, on Monday called on Arab media to "abide by the truth."

"Egypt can let go of any minor disputes," Shehab said. "But that does not give others the right to engage in underhanded attacks."

Doha  - Leaders gathered for an Arab League summit in Qatar on Monday were unanimous in their appeals for Arab unity, but that message was almost lost amid high-profile disputes between member states and the sensational appearance of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir despite an international warrant for his arrest.

Sudan confirmed al-Bashir's attendance at Monday's summit only hours after judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity on March 4.

Doha - Egyptian Minister of State for Legal Affairs Mufid Shehab, representing his country at an Arab League summit in Qatar in lieu of President Hosny Mubarak, on Monday called on Arab media to "abide by the truth."

"Egypt can let go of any minor disputes," Shehab said. "But that does not give others the right to engage in underhanded attacks."

Doha - Leaders from the Arab world were meeting in Qatar on Monday for the 21st regular Arab League Summit where the issue of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was expected to dominate.

Al-Bashir, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity, was among the first to arrive in the Qatari capital Doha.

In all, some 17 out of the 22 Arab leaders and among others United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon were due to participate in discussion on a range of issues.

Doha/Cairo - Egyptian and Qatari diplomats on Saturday shrugged off the decision of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to absent himself from the annual Arab League summit in Doha scheduled for Monday.

The announcement that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit made in Cairo early Saturday to declare Mubarak's decision to delegate Moufid Shehab, a cabinet minister, to head the Egyptian delegation to the summit was simply, in both capitals, expected.

Doha  - Arab League summits often go like a bad wedding party. Everything begins grandly, but then rapidly slides into farce. Either one erratic leader storms out at a perceived slight, or another bores everyone else to sleep. Now and then the guests call each other names.

But on Monday, when the two-day summit begins in the Sheraton Hotel in the Qatari capital of Doha, a little more interest should be expected. The summit promises to be one of the most crucial Arab League gatherings in recent years, and one of the most controversial.