Five-member Arab foreign minister meeting in Cairo today

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen and Oman will resume today in Cairo the meetings they held in al-Ghardaqa ten days ago in preparation for the consultative Arab ministerial meeting on January 24.

The number of Arab states supporting the convening of the consultation meeting increased to 14, a matter which would pave the way for an Arab summit, not attended by Iraq.

In Cairo measures are being taken to convene the five foreign ministers' meeting in an atmosphere of secrecy after news leaked about the Ghardaqa meeting.

Arab diplomatic sources told the London-based al-Hayat daily of the existence of "coordination between the foreign ministers of the five Arab states and the Arab League in order to avoid the eruption of a crisis in the meeting of the AL council during discussions on the issue of Iraq."