The Arab Summit came and went in Damascus over the weekend, with the same showdowns and no-shows that always mar the annual gathering of the 22 Arab League member nations. I managed to escape Syrian media purgatory and avoid covering the Damascus summit, but here's all you need to know about the meeting, with thanks to the AP and AFP wire services:

What and where:
The annual meeting of the League of Arab Nations, ostensibly to discuss issues of mutual concern, resolve debates and quell conflicts in the region. This year the summit took place in the Syrian capital of Damascus, a controversial venue because of the tense Syrian-Lebanese relations over the power vacuum and internecine squabbling in Beirut.

On the agenda:
The political crisis in Lebanon, fighting in Gaza, bloodshed in Iraq, Iraq's refugee crisis, pressure on Sudan over Darfur, enhancing trade ties with China, joint nuclear power program.

Snubs:
The U.S.-allied leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan all boycotted amid accusations that Syria is blocking the appointment of a new Lebanese president. Lebanon sent no officials at all. In all, only half the 22 member states attended the Damascus summit.

Sticking points:
-- Iraq refused to endorse a resolution because the wording stopped short of condemning terrorism in Iraq. The resolution calls for an end to foreign occupation and ordered "Iraqi brothers to stop bloodshed immediately," but does not mention terrorists such as Iraq's mostly homegrown al Qaida spinoff.
-- U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, along with Lebanon, blame the Syrians for fueling Beirut's protracted political crisis. There's been no president in Lebanon since November.
-- Iran, which is Persian and therefore not a member of the Arab League, is upset with its Arab neighbors over a resolution from the summit that calls for the peaceful return of three disputed islands that Iran controls and the United Arab Emirates claims.

Memorable moments:
-- During the summit, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal accused Syria of blocking the compromise proposal on the Lebanese crisis and called on the Arab League to punish Damascus.

"A prudent person must make all his calculations, especially when we have to deal with an administration which knows how to strike but does not know how to withdraw."
-- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, discussing the threat of a U.S. attack on Syria

Comic relief
He's baaack! We missed good old Moammar Gadhafi at recent Arab gatherings, but the Libyan leader was on hand to liven up Damascus with his usual insults, narcissism and general craziness. He showed up in lush purple and pink robes with a traditional Libyan cloak and cap. No word on whether his infamous coterie of female bodyguards was in tow or whether he pitched his own tent instead of staying in a hotel, as on previous state visits.

Gadhafi let loose on his amused or irritated Arab brethren, lambasting them for failing to stand up to U.S. imperialism and ridiculing talk of Arab compromise on regional conflicts. He had some gems, which I've listed below, but he was generally more reserved this time than on some of his previous appearances at Arab Summits.

AP had a funny little timeline of Gadhafi antics at the gatherings. Last year, he boycotted the summit in Riyadh and instead gave a televised speech saying that "Liza," a reference to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, had dictated the agenda. In 2005, he told the summit in Algeria that Palestinians and Israelis are "stupid." In 2004, he sat smoking cigars on the conference floor of the Tunisia summit to show his contempt for the other leaders. In 2003, he traded insults with the Saudi king in a fight that got so heated it had to be taken off air. 

Here are my top three Gadhafi quotes from this year's summit in Damascus:

-- "Your turn is next," Gadhafi told Arab leaders, referring to the U.S. removal of Saddam Hussein. "Destruction will be yours."

-- "How can we do that? We hate each other."
-- Gadhafi, ridiculing a proposal for a joint Arab nuclear program

"There is nothing new to mention in this summit. It is like previous Arab summits."
-- Gadhafi, in an interview with AFP

Resolution:

-- The leaders backed a compromise proposal for ending Lebanon's presidential dispute. It calls for Lebanon's army chief to be elected president and for a unity government to be formed.

-- The Arab League called on Israel to accept a 2002 Arab land-for-peace proposal and said "international momentum" from a U.S.-sponsored peace conference in November should be maintained. 

Next year:
Doha, Qatar. This Persian Gulf capital is home to the region's massive U.S. military command, Centcom, and is the headquarters for the al Jazeera satellite channel.