CAIRO, July 28: Egypt unveiled a package of reforms on Monday to strengthen the Arab League, the 58-year-old organization which has been in crisis since the US-led war on Iraq.

Government daily Al-Ahram published the complete text of the Egyptian government’s initiative, which seeks mainly to reform voting procedures, as well as set up a “security council” and an Arab court of justice.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, meanwhile, visited Libya and held talks with the country’s leader Moamer Qadhafi, who has threatened to pull Tripoli out of the League for its failure to act on key Arab issues.

Libya’s official news agency JANA said Maher, at the meeting in the northern town of Sirte, delivered a message from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the situation in the Arab world and ties between Cairo and Tripoli.

It gave no further details.

In its initiative, Cairo said that although the League charter required a unanimous vote, deemed “essential” when the organisation was founded in 1945, today it was “an obstacle to taking vital decisions ... resulting in paralysis”.

Instead, Egypt wants to see the 22-member Cairo-based organization adopt majority voting.

Cairo also wants an “Arab security council” or “decision-making forum” to be set up to deal with security and defence issues across the Arab world.

In addition, Egypt is calling for the establishment of an Arab court of justice, tasked with ruling on regional conflicts, and an “Arab parliament” for political and financial oversight of the League.—AFP