Report: Qahwaji to Travel to Egypt over Joint Arab Force
Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji is expected to attend a meeting for Arab military leaders in Cairo this week following an agreement at an Arab summit to establish a joint force, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday.
Qahwaji will represent Lebanon at Wednesday's meeting which Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi has called for, said the report.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced last month the accord to establish the joint force at the end of the summit he hosted in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Al-Sisi set a four-month timeframe for the 22-member Arab League to decide on the composition and rules of engagement of the joint force.
The Arab League has for months stressed the pressing need for such a force to combat terrorists such as Islamic State group jihadists.
But the Saudi-led Arab air strikes launched last month against Yemen's Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels have highlighted the divergent interests and priorities of the League's members.
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