By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : The Egyptian-Saudi call for an extraordinary meeting for the Arab Foreign Ministers on Lebanon was prompted by “the Arab responsibility toward the deteriorating conditions in an Arab sister country,” Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said.
Talking to reporters Thursday, Abul-Gheit highlighted the importance of the Sunday meeting saying it would offer a good chance for discussing means of supporting the Lebanese conflicting powers so as to elect a new president.
He pointed to the clashes that took place in Lebanon two days before between the supporters of different powers which revealed how fragile and tense the situation is.
Egypt’s keen interest in Lebanon aims at maintaining the country’s stability and constitutional gains based on the Al-Taef agreement, Abul-Gheit said noting that Egypt was concerned over the presidential vacuum in Lebanon.
All the concerned parties, especially the Arabs, have to join hands to settle the presidential issue, he noted. Other issues on the Lebanese political scene could later be addressed, he said.
On Palestine, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said the meeting could also be a chance to review developments on the Palestinian scene, focusing on negotiations with the Israeli side.
Meanwhile, the Arab League said Thursday that it had accomplished all preparations for the Sunday meeting that will be preceded by a consultation meeting Saturday evening.
All the Arab countries will take part in the extraordinary meeting, an Arab League source told KUNA.
He added that Secretary-General Amr Moussa would start on Saturday a series of consultations with a host of the Arab Foreign Ministers for concluding a unified stance on the agenda of the Sunday meeting.
The Saturday FMs’ consultations are to focus on the developments on the Arab scene focusing on the Palestinian-Israeli track in addition to the message the Ministers would deliver to the US side during the Middle East tour by US President George W. Bush due later this month.