Tunisia is cleaning up its boulevards and securing its borders for an Arab League summit that this country hopes raises its regional profile and economic prospects.

Government ministers from the 22 Arab League states are holding preparatory meetings in Tunis all week for Sunday's summit.

The summit will tackle many thorny issues, including the Golan Heights, the Saudi Arabia-Iran rift and whether to let Syrian President Bashar Assad back into the Arab fold.

Tunisian diplomats want their country to play a mediating role in regional tensions. For Tunisia, the most burning issue is bringing stability to neighboring Libya, formerly a major trade partner.

New murals, exotic flowers and Arab flags now decorate Tunis. Police and soldiers were deployed around the country and security is tightened on land and sea borders.