Arab League chief to visit Vatican

Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdul Meguid will begin a three-day visit to Vatican on December 17, during which he will meet with Pope John Paul II for talks concerning the question of Jerusalem.

This visit, however, comes in the course of the Arab initiative to be carried out by the Arab League on the international and European level in support of the Palestinian cause and the question of Jerusalem, which is a primary issue in the final settlement negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority.

During his visit, the AL chief will also meet with the Papal Nuncio to hold detailed talks on methods of Arab - Islamic coordination with the Vatican in order to guarantee "the rights of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem," and to highlight the dangers of the Israeli measures in the holy city as well as to confirm that East Jerusalem is an integrated part of the Arab lands occupied in 1967.