Arab leaders seek end to peace process impasse (Roundup)

Jan 5, 2010, 17:12 GMT

Sharm al-Sheikh/Damascus/Riyadh - The Saudi foreign minister barely touched ground on his lightning tour of the region Tuesday, meeting Egypt and Syria's leaders while the Saudi king hosted his Jordanian counterpart.

At every stop, Prince Saud al-Faisal and his regional counterparts voiced a commitment to resolving some of the main problems that vex the Middle East: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the related rift between rival Palestinian factions, and the Yemeni civil war.

After meeting with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in the Sinai resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh Tuesday morning, al-Faisal and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit repeated their calls for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Egypt seeks 'the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in all the territories within the 1967 borders, living in peace and security with Israel ... and East Jerusalem as the capital,' Abul- Gheit said after that meeting.

Al-Faisal likewise called on 'all parties' to adopt the Arab Peace Initiative, saying, 'We believe this initiative has the potential to end the conflict between the two sides.'

The initiative, first presented by Saudi Arabia at a 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut, offers Israel full diplomatic recognition from Arab states in exchange for its complete withdrawal from the West Bank and 'a just resolution' to the issue of Palestinian refugees.

The Saudi foreign minister backed Egyptian efforts to reconcile Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, which controls Palestinian-administered areas of the West Bank.

Without a unified Palestinian government, it is unclear who could credibly represent Palestinians in future peace negotiations.

Palestinian reconciliation talks 'are in the hands of our Egyptian brothers,' al-Faisal said Tuesday, squelching speculation that Saudi Arabia had been pursuing a separate track in recent meetings with leaders of both factions in Riyadh.

'We defend our land,' al-Faisal said when asked about Saudi strikes against Houthi rebels along the Saudi-Yemeni border. 'We are with Yemen heart and soul in this regard ... We will not relent.'

Al-Faisal next left for Damascus, where he briefly met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a further sign of thawing relations between the two countries.

'It is now time for serious Arab discussion and effort, especially toward the Palestinian peace process, which faces obstacles presented by Israel,' he said after meeting al-Assad in Damascus.

Al-Faisal said the two hoped that Iraq's March parliamentary elections would help resolve troubles in that country. He confirmed that the two had discussed Lebanon, but did not elaborate.

Saudi Arabia and Syria back opposing Lebanese political parties. Relations between the two soured after the February 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who had close financial and political ties with the Saudis.

Detlev Mehlis, the German judge commissioned by the United Nations to investigate the bombing, implicated 'senior Lebanese and Syrian officials' in that killing.

Al-Faisal left Syria directly after his meeting with al-Assad, as Jordan's King Abdullah bin Hussein flew to Riyadh to meet Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz.

Ahead of the visit, the Jordanian palace said the two would discuss 'efforts underway to ensure the resumption of effective and serious talks that address all aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.'

The two reiterated that message after their meeting, saying world powers should focus on starting negotiations aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in a clear time frame, putting an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and activities that 'threaten Jerusalem and its holy sites.'

Jordanian sources said discussions also included the situation in Yemen, the Iranian nuclear file, and developments in Iraq, but did not elaborate.