AMMAN, 8 April 2004 — Jordan’s foreign minister said after talks between King Abdallah and Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday that a delayed Arab summit must be held as quickly as possible.
King Abdallah and visiting President Assad met briefly in the Jordanian capital in an effort to agree a unified stance on the holding of the summit, officials said. “It is very important it is held very soon and (for Arabs) to agree on its content,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher told reporters. He gave no details of the talks.
The two leaders also discussed the deteriorating situation in Iraq.
Tunisia postponed the Arab summit late last month citing disagreement over democratic reforms which the US is pushing for in the region.
as part of its Greater Middle East Initiative.
Syria said it wanted regional reforms on Arab terms, not based on Western ideas. Pro-Western Jordan has criticized Tunis for postponing the summit, saying existing divisions were not a sufficient reason for delaying the summit.
