Arab League Summit Test

THE Arab League summit on 27-29 March will be the first held in Baghdad since Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and premier Nouri al-Maliki’s government considers it the most important diplomatic event yet for post-Saddam Iraq.

Security has been ratcheted up across Baghdad. Since Monday, checkpoint searches have brought the city of seven million to a standstill. An extra 100,000 troops and police will patrol the capital for the summit. Millions of dollars are also being spent renovating hotels, planting trees and paving roads.