The establishment of an EU-like rail way connecting all the Arab countries, the construction of new highways and the increase in maritime transport will all be on the agenda for the second Arab economic summit, according to Al Youm alsabe website. The summit will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh on 19 January.

Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, told a reporter from the Middle East News Agency that all the decisions made during the first summit will be reviewed, and some will soon be executed. Other issues to be discussed during the second summit are the custom union, the establishment of a common market and an examination of the economic situation in the Palestinian occupied territories.

The first economic summit was held in Kuwait and resulted in an agreement to commit $1billion to development projects managed by the Arab Fund for Development.

Moussa left for Algeria yesterday, on a three-day visit with senior officials. While there, he will also meet with Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Murad Medelci in order to discuss ways to further Arab cooperation.

As Moussa visits the North African nation, former Algerian President Ahmed Ben Bella reiterated the need for strengthening cooperation between Arab countries, as a result of weakening role of the United Nations in the region.