Egypt's president calls for "extraordinary" Arab summit in Sharm el-Sheikh

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak called Thursday to stage an Arab leaders summit next week in Sharm el-Sheikh - the site of Egypt's deadliest ever terror attack.

"I call for an extraordinary Arab summit ... and I suggest that it be held in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday," said Mubarak told several hundred supporters in Shibin el Kom, capital of the Nile Delta province of Menoufia, north of Cairo.

The Arab world was witnessing "worrisome developments from the situation on the Palestinian arena to the situation in Iraq to many other challenges," Mubarak said in a nationally televised speech, adding there was "a need to formulate a shared Arab vision," reports the AP.

Mubarak, who as president since 1981 has long battle extremist groups in Egypt, did not say why he wanted the summit held in Sharm, but it was apparently chosen in a sign of resolve by the government in the face of Saturday's pre-dawn attacks in the Red Sea resort.

"We're at a time when we need to hold an urgent Arab summit so that we can have a common ground," he said in an apparent reference to a coordinated approach to combat terrorism.

Mubarak is expected to announce his intention to stand in Sept. 7 elections, according to state-owned newspapers, notices the AP.

Read on Sharm el-Sheikh terror acts

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