An Arab League summit set to take place in Baghdad this month is being postponed for a third time and may not take place until next year.
A statement from the Arab League Thursday said the summit was being delayed at Iraq's request, and that Baghdad retained the right to host the summit in March, 2012.
The meeting had been scheduled to take place this past March but officials delayed the meeting following the wave of unrest and protests that hit much of the Arab world.
It was then rescheduled to take place on May 10-11, but that meeting was also postponed.
Some Iraqi officials alleged the second delay was retaliation for Baghdad's support of Shi'ite protesters in Bahrain.
Some Gulf countries have been upset at majority Shi'ite Iraq's decision to side with Bahrain's Shi'ite majorities, who have been calling for a greater role in their Sunni-led government. Other Gulf Arab states have been backing Bahrain's Sunni rulers.
The Arab League had been expected to discuss regional anti-government unrest and the selection of a replacement for Amr Moussa, whose term as league secretary-general was slated to end this month.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.