Analysts believe the AL will have a bigger role to play if US troops one day withdraw from Iraq. The pan-Arab body can count on a level of trust among Iraqis from across the political and sectarian spectrum, which is not available to the United States.

It is highly expected that the AL could bring together Iraq's warring factions and rival politicians just as it did to end the Lebanese civil war 17 years ago.

According to Arab diplomatic sources, Iraqi politicians, including both Kurdish President Jalal Talabani and Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, desire an increased involvement of the league in their country.

For the time being, Arab states are preparing their annual summit, a high-profile gathering of Arab identity and an opportunity for further efforts to resolve the Lebanon crisis.

On Monday, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri again postponed a session to elect a new president – the 16th such delay since September.

By slating the next assembly vote for March 25 – four days before the Arab summit – Berri was seeking to energize the Arab initiative on Lebanon, the country's As-Safir newspaper reported Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2008)