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The advisor of the Egyptian president, Osama El-Baz, warned in a statement to ArabicNews.com that the countinuing conflicts in some African countries badly reflect on all the continent's countries and said these conflicts may be complicated and have more than one reason. He stressed the importance of deepening African understanding to solve problems and clarify the extent of foreign interference, hailing the efforts exerted by Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi to solve a number of African conflicts in an African framework. Go

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal met on Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Ministry secretary Sadeq Kharazzi in Riyadh. During the meeting talks dealt with bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern. High-ranking officials representing the two sides attended the meeting. Go

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak made a phone call to United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed Ben Sultan al-Nahyan that tackled regional and international issues of joint concern. Go

Turkish President Suleiman Demirel, who was angrily met at Al Aqsa mosque by Palestinian demonstrators who forced him to leave the mosque quickly, said that his country will welcome the establishment of peace between Israel and Syria. The Turkish president's bodyguards got him away from the mosque after Palestinian youths and teenagers shouted slogans against him describing him as a traitor, hireling and non-believer. The Palestinian youths shouted at Demirel that they do not want to see him in the mosque as a visitor, but as a liberator. Go

Presidents Haj Omar Bongo of Gabon and Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo arrived in Rabat on Wednesday for a visit to Morocco. Go

Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin Bin Ali met on Wednesday in Tunis with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Arafat briefed the Tunisian president on the results of his talks recently held with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Go

King Hassan II of Morocco flew back home on Thursday at the end of a three-day official visit to France at the invitation of French President Jacques Chirac where he was given a red-carpet welcome by the French president. Go

Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa said his country is ready to play a role for activating the peace process in the Middle East. He said, "We are ready to help in the peace process if we are asked to." Go

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has announced following his meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika that bilateral relations between the two "sisterly" countries were reviewed. In a statement he made in Algeria on Wednesday, the Sudanese president stressed that all African leaders aspire for Algeria to return to its position as a main power contributing to settling disputes in Africa. Go

Jordan on Wednesday morning started local elections as some one million voters will elect heads and members of 304 municipal councils distributed in all parts of the country. Some 5,362 candidates, including 42 women, are competing to win these seats. Meanwhile, the Jordanian opposition parties have called on the Jordanian citizens to take part in these elections and practice their election right to choose the representatives to the municipal councils. Go

The Israeli forces carried out forced-entry campaigns against several houses in Eita al-Jabal town (occupied part of south Lebanon) and arrested Lebanese citizen Muhammad Mousa Rida (22). News reports from south Lebanon said the Israeli arrest and forced-entry campaigns came following the Lebanese resistance's detonation of an explosive charge near Eita al-Jabal, which resulted in wounding an Israeli-allied militia official, Ahmad Shebli Saleh. Go

The 35th summit of the Organization of African Unity on Wednesday in Algiers ratified in its third day of celebrations the agreement of the OAU on the prevention and combating of terrorism. Go