Albright starts Middle East tour in Saudi Arabia today
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright starts today her Middle East tour, as she will arrive tonight in Riyadh, before she arrives in Damascus tomorrow and then to Israel and the Palestinian territories and on Thursday Albright will be in Egypt.
In Riyadh, Albright is to meet today with Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, as well as with Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.
A well-informed source in Riyadh said that Albright will hold talks on security in the Gulf region, especially the situation in Iraq, as well as means of revitalizing the Middle East peace process.
The source expected that Albright will brief the Saudi officials on Washington's concept of means of alleviating sanctions imposed on Iraq after the UN Security Council extended the oil-for-food program for one week, after which it is expected to reach an agreement on conditions to suspend the sanctions.
In Damascus, well-informed sources said Albright will arrive in Syria tomorrow and will hold talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa.
The source added that Albright will seek during her tour to reach a formula "satisfactory for Syria and Israel to resume peace negotiations," suspended since 1996.
The source added that Syria wants to know that "the aim" of negotiations is Israel's withdrawal from the Golan to the June 4, 1967 borders and that Syria is "ready to negotiate on all other issues pertaining to peace and security following the approval of complete withdrawal by Israel."
Meanwhile, an official source at the US embassy in Cairo said that Albright's talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Amr Moussa during her visit to Egypt on Thursday will deal with several bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern, especially the developments of conditions in Iraq and Sudan.
