Arab, African FMs to meet in New York

The secretary-general of the Arab League, Esmat Abdul Meguid, has announced that the foreign ministers of the Arab and African countries, participating in the meetings of the UN General Assembly will hold a joint meeting in New York.

The secretaries general of both the Arab League and the Organization of African Unity are taking part.

In a pre-departure statement he made in Cairo on Sunday before heading for New York, Abdul Meguid said the meeting will deal with Arab and African issues of mutual concern. He added that the Arab foreign ministers will hold a coordination meeting prior to their meeting with the African foreign ministers, in order to coordinate stances and adopt a united Arab position regarding issues debated in the UN General Assembly.

The AL chief stated that, "The Middle East peace process, the persistence of the Israeli government to destroy it, the danger inflicted from the Israeli policies on the region's security and stability, the announcement of the Palestinian state next year, the question of Lockerbie and the siege imposed on Iraq, are all topics to be highlighted and discussed in contacts with the secretaries general of the UN, the Organization of African Unity and the Organization of the Islamic Conference."

Abdul Meguid explained that he will meet with the foreign minister of the Netherlands to discuss the possibility of signing an agreement between the Netherlands and Libya similar to that signed between the Netherlands and Britain concerning the two Libyans suspected of being involved in the Lockerbie explosion.

Abdul Meguid added that he will also meet with the foreign minister of Ethiopia to discuss the question of Somalia and to achieve national reconciliation in this country.