Talabani heads to Kuwait for Arab summit

BAGHDAD, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will put energy, investments and reconstruction at the top of his agenda at an economic summit in Kuwait, officials said Friday.

"Iraq will take part in the coming economic, developmental and social summit in Kuwait next Monday with a high-profile delegation, including President Talabani, the deputy premier and a number of ministers," a statement to the Voices of Iraq news agency said.

Leaders from the Arab world convene Jan. 19 in Kuwait for the first Arab summit to focus exclusively on economic development in the region.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrived in Kuwait Thursday to meet with Egyptian, Lebanese and Yemeni officials, along with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.

Arab ministers at the two-day Kuwait summit plan to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip as well as ways to provide relief to the Palestinian people.

A conflict in the Gaza Strip between the militant Hamas and the Israeli military entered its third week Friday, though cease-fire talks gained momentum.

An estimated 1,000 Palestinians died during the conflict, compared to about a dozen Israelis.