The first Arab economic summit convened in the Kuwaiti capital on Monday, centering on the situation in the Gaza Strip and calling for unity in the Arab world to resolve the Gaza crisis.

The high-level economic meeting was attended by 17 heads of state of the 22-member Arab League (AL), together with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, with a slogan of "In Solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (2nd L, front), King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (3rd L, front) and Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (4th L, front) attend the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Jan. 19, 2009. Arab heads of state gathered here on Monday for the first Arab economic summit, which is set to tackle the Gaza situation in addition to the impact of global financial crisis, infrastructure and social issues in the Arab world. [Xinhua/KUNA]

Addressing the opening session of the summit broadcast live, host Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah condemned the past 22-day-long Israeli "invasion" of Gaza as "crimes against humanity and war crimes".

He applauded the resistance of the Palestinian people to defend their humanitarian dignity, withholding their natural right to establish an independent state.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (front) attends the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Jan. 19, 2009. [Xinhua/KUNA]