| Summit Name: | Arab League 21st summit |
| Date: | 30–31 March 2009 |
| Country: | Qatar |
| Cities: | Doha |
| Follows: | 2010 Arab League summit |
| Precedes: | 2008 Arab League summit |
The 2009 Arab League summit was held in Doha, Qatar on March 30, 2009. The Arab League defied the International Criminal Court by giving a "warm welcome" to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whom the Court placed on warrant of arrest for war crimes in the Darfur genocide.[1]
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak boycotted the summit amid differences with Qatar stemming from the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.[2] Other Arab countries like Saudi Arabia were also hesitant to come to the summit if Iran or Hamas were in attendance (neither of the parties came while the Saudis did).
After Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani speech, Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia a liar, accusing him of "bringing the Americans to occupy Iraq" and of being "made by Britain and protected by the US.", while stating: "I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam (leader) of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level".[3] [4] He then invited the King to visit him to solve the issues between the two.[5]