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."

"Our Arab media plays an important role, whether officially or unofficially. Therefore it must abide by the truth," Shehab said. "Egypt, the elder sister and the base of the Arab League, invites all Arab states to end their disputes."

Qatar subsidizes the satellite network al-Jazeera, which was sharply critical of Egyptian policy during the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip in late December and January.

Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak was not present at the meeting of Arab leaders in Qatar, nor was Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit.

"We must all hold fast to our Arab identity and not allow ourselves to be divided by any non-Arab interlopers seeking to sow discord," Egypt's delegate to the summit said. (dpa)