But sources in the entourage of the Egyptian delegation said that only a ''small liaison office" would be maintained in Tunis.
The Arab diplomatic sources said specialized economic and cultural agencies of the Arab League would also remain in Tunis under the agreement, which followed a 10-month diplomatic and media campaign by the government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the return of the Arab League headquarters to Cairo.
Under the reported plan, a new Arab League headquarters under construction in Tunis for the last 2 1/2 years would be completed. The new building's cost is estimated at $30 million.
Egypt had pressed for the accord since last May, when Cairo was given back full membership of the league at an Arab summit in Casablanca. The 22-member league suspended Egypt's membership in 1979 after then-Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat signed a peace treaty with Israel.
Egypt was backed by Kuwait, Jordan and other Gulf states during the tough discussions that led to the decision, the sources said.
The Palestine Liberation Organization, a full member of the league, ultimately agreed to the decision after vehemently opposing the Egyptian proposal on the ground that it would be too much of a security risk to meet ''a few hundred meters from the Israeli Embassy" in Cairo.
