Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, March 25 ahead of this week's Arab summit in the Iraqi capital, the first to be held here in more than 20 years, AFP reported.

The summit, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, is expected to tackle the ongoing conflict in Syria, the impact of regional Arab Spring revolts, as well as structural reforms to the 22-member Arab League.

In its preparations for the gathering, Iraq has deployed thousands of extra policemen and soldiers and spent $500 million refurbishing hotels, summit venues and some infrastructure in the capital.