Iraqi envoys started visits to Arab countries to hand over official invitations to Arab leaders to attend the Arab League (AL) summit scheduled to be held in Baghdad late in March, an Iraqi official newspaper reported Saturday.

"High-level government delegations started Friday hand-over of official invitations to Arab kings and presidents to attend the Arab summit to be held in Baghdad on March 29," the state-run newspaper al-Sabah said.

Iraq's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari, Planning Minister Ali Yousif al-Shukri, Culture Minister Sa'doun al-Dulaimi, Industry Minister Ahmad Nassir Dali and State Minister of Parliament Affairs Safaa al-Din al-Safi will start their tours to a number of Arab countries, the paper said.

Meanwhile, Iraq's official TV channel of Iraqia quoted Zebari as saying that Syria will not be invited to the summit, in accordance with a previous decision by the AL.

"Syria is not invited to the coming AL summit in Baghdad," Zebari told the television.

"The decision not to invite Syria is not ours, it is the decision of the Arab League, and Iraq has to abide by its decision, " Zebari said.

"Syrian opposition is not invited as well," he said.

Earlier in February, AL Deputy Secretary General Ahmed bin Helli announced during his visit to Iraq that Baghdad will host the Arab summit on March 29.

The Arab summit was initially scheduled to be held in Baghdad in 2011, but was postponed to March 2012 due to the unrest in the region.