The source told the Italian news agency AKI "Syria is very upset with efforts aimed at aborting the summit" scheduled for March 29 in Damascus.

"Syria is not ready to consider a postponement of the summit unless it was approached by a unanimous Arab request," he added.

The source, who was not identified, said the summit faces "bad atmosphere," With regards to the pressure of electing a president in Lebanon , before March 29

according to a Gulf official , the leaders of Bahrain , Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman , Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen may skip the summit if the Lebanese president is not elected. This could result in the cancellation of the summit

Lebanon, which has been without a president since November 23, 2007, is in the throes of a political crisis that has strained relations between Syria and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, casting a shadow over the annual Arab summit in Damascus

Syria, and its ally Iran, back the Lebanese opposition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is opposing the election unless the majority agrees to basket of demands that the majority calls it extortion and blackmail

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