Arab leaders on Tuesday kicked off in Algiers the 17th Arab League (AL) summit, with reviving an Arab peace initiative and adopting reform measures topping the agenda.

Thirteen Arab heads of state and senior officials from 22 AL member states attended the opening ceremony at the Nations Palace in the Algerian capital's western suburb.
 
In an opening speech, Tunisian President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, whose country hosted last year's summit, called on member states to fulfill the Tunis declaration on AL reforms in order to deal with challenges.

AL Secretary General Amr Moussa told the opening session that Arab countries should enhance collective actions in settling divergence and promoting economic integration.

He also envisaged a common market in the Arab world by 2015.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika urged the Arab countries to implement reform and take collective actions to serve the common interests of the Arab people so as to adapt to the changing world.

The Arab leaders are expected to discuss a draft resolution on reviving the Arab peace initiative adopted in the 2002 Beirut summit.

The draft, based on a Jordanian proposal and approved by Arab foreign ministers in a preliminary meeting on Sunday, spells out the terms for normalizing relations with Israel -- Israeli pullout of territories it has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war, a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and recognition of the rights of Palestinian refugees.

The Arab leaders are also expected to approve specific measures including amending the AL charter, setting up an Arab parliament, revamping AL institutions and changing its voting system.

This year's summit coincided with the pan-Arab bloc's 60th anniversary of establishment.

The summit was partly marred by the absence of several Arab, including Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.

European Union foreign policy chief Jovier Solana and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also took part in the opening ceremony.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2005)