It is high time for the return of pan-Arabism under the leadership of Egypt and Lebanon in order to confront extremism and fragmentation which are sweeping the Arab region, said Egyptian Culture Minister Helmy el Namnam.

Speaking during the opening of the Egyptian cultural week in Lebanon yesterday, Namnam said that "We are living in a critical moment of the Arab nation's history," adding that the situation in Syria is getting worse day after day.

He also pointed out to the difficult conditions in Libya, Somalia and Iraq.

As pan-Arabism weakened, sectarianism and treason have emerged, he said.

The minister, meanwhile, underlined the need of renouncing violence and extremism in order to replace them by tolerance and the acceptance of the other.

Sources: MENA