Mubarak, Saudi Crown Prince meet over Iraqi crisis

President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Thursday held bilateral talks centered on the Iraqi crisis, the Middle East peace process, and bilateral issues of mutual concern.

Earlier in the day Prince Abdullah arrived in Cairo for talks with President Mubarak and Egyptian officials on current developments in the region.

Meanwhile, the advisor of the Egyptian President for political affairs Osama el-Baz warned against the use of force against Iraq. Speaking to a youth rally in the Egyptian al-Qanatir city, Baz added that Egypt prefers a peaceful settlement and believes the use of force against Iraq would not be in the interest of security and stability in the region.

He criticized US policy towards Iraq and relations with Israel that "are based on different criteria." He stressed Egypt's committment to maintaining Iraq's sovereignty and praised Russian, French, and Chinese efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the Iraqi crisis.