Saudi, Egyptian joint committee meets in Riyadh

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and his Egyptian counterpart Amr Moussa, who held talks in Riyadh in the course of convening the Egyptian - Saudi joint higher committee on Wednesday, denied reports of convening a tripartite meeting with their Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Sharaa to discuss the stalemate in the Middle East peace process, as Arab diplomatic sources reported that the three ministers met in the Saudi capital.

Replying to a question upon seeing Moussa off at the airport, Saud al-Faisal said that such a tripartite meeting "did not take place." Moussa, for his part also denied such a meeting. Earlier, AFP had quoted a Syrian diplomat in Riyadh as saying that Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa arrived yesterday in Riyadh where he joined his Egyptian and Saudi counterparts to discuss the stalemate in the peace process.

In a press conference for the Saudi and Egyptian ministers, Moussa asserted that the conference for salvaging peace, advocated by President Hosni Mubarak and French President Jacques Chirac is not a substitute for the Madrid conference. He accused the Israeli government of violating Madrid's principles, MENA reported.