RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has proposed a plan to reform the Arab political order and the Arab League. It is being envisaged here that the plan would enable the Arab League, believed to be a non-functional organization in real sense by many, to deal with the new regional realities imposed by the war on Iraq and the American engagement in peace-making in the Middle East, officials here say.

According to reports carried in the Saudi newspapers, the plan, presented by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Arab leaders during the last March’s Arab summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, says “it’s time for the Arab nation to wake up. Arab leaders must, firstly, pledge to their people that they would work for the preservation of their countries’ sovereignty, progress, and territorial integrity and defence capabilities.”

The new Arab charter is reported to be aimed at securing the legitimate demands of the nation, building a common action plan and re-organizing inter-Arab ties and the nation’s international relations.

An important aspect of the proposed plan involves an Arab mechanism to stop an Arab state attacking another.