Tunisia hails the upcoming periodical Arab summit

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak received on Sunday Tunisian Foreign Minister El-Habib Ben Yahia, currently visiting Cairo.

Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, Egypt's ambassador to Tunisia Mokhalis Qutb and Tunisian charge d'affaires in Cairo Ahmed Mostafa attended the meeting.

Emerging from the meeting, Ben Yahia said that he handed over a message to Mubarak from Tunisian President Zine El-Abiddine Ben Ali-on bilateral relations, especially after the successful visit of Mubarak to Tunisia in February.

Ben Yahia and Moussa submitted a report to Mubarak on the outcome of the Egyptian-Tunisian follow-up committee in preparation for convening joint higher committee between the two countries, due to start in Tunisia in April.

During the meeting, Ben Yahia said, the two sides had consultations on preparations for the Arab summit to be held in Amman on March 27.

The meeting as well took up means of activating the Arab Maghreb union, he added.

"This comes within the framework of continued consultations between Mubarak and Ben Ali", the top Tunisian diplomat said, adding that Egypt and Tunisia share almost the same views regarding key issues of interest to the Arab world.

Responding to a question on whether the Egyptian-Tunisian follow-up committee meetings have forged any ideas or proposals to face the freeze of the Middle East peace process, especially after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon assumed office, Ben Yahia said this issue will be discussed at the Arab follow-up committee, an offshoot of Cairo Arab summit.

This issue will also be tackled at the meetings of the Arab league ministerial council on Monday and Tuesday, he added.

Ben Yahia said the coming phase will focus on exploring the changes on the Israeli, American and international arena and means of facing such changes.

On whether he expected the coming Arab summit to add anything new, he said of course, it would, being the first of periodical Arab summit which is in itself a step forward in inter-Arab relations.

Arab nations have to be optimistic, as the summit represents a new Arab development, he added.

"One must not forget there are Arab problems and these summits help solve them within a purely Arab context," he said.