Five-way Arab ministerial meeting postponed

The five-member meetings of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Oman and Yemen, scheduled to have been held in Cairo on Tuesday were postponed awaiting the crystallization of the positoin of the foreign ministers of the GCC in dealing with the Iraqi situation when they resume their meetings on Thursday in Jeddah.

Arab diplomatic sources in Cairo said that the postponement was approved following a telephone call Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa received from his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Moussa said the mini-meeting of the Arab foreign ministers will be convened within days in order to coordinate positions and consult on several issues in preparation for the meeting of the Arab foreign ministers on January 24 in Cairo.

In press statements he made in Cairo on Tuesday Moussa added "The Iraqi issue is the main topic to be debated on the agenda of the January 24 meeting in addition to other topics." Moussa did not disclose the nature of these topics.