DAMASCUS, 20 January 2004 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad discussed here yesterday plans to reform the Arab League, the state news agency SANA reported.
Their talks focused “on the current situation in the Arab world and the formulas proposed to reform the Arab League”, which has been accused of being ineffective, it said.
Prince Saud, who flew in from Cairo, delivered a message from Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, on coordination between Damascus and Riyadh, SANA said.
Prince Saud on Sunday expressed surprise during his Cairo visit that Syria was facing “threats” from the United States.
“We hope there is no threat against an Arab country, especially because Syria has said it is willing to talk,” Prince Saud told journalists following talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
“It is strange that when Syria announces readiness to negotiate, it is subject to threats,” the prince said.
Syria has said it wants improved relations with Washington, despite US President George W. Bush last month signing legislation paving the way for economic and diplomatic sanctions against Damascus.
Prince Saud also said he and Mubarak reviewed Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa’s ideas for reforming the 22-member pan-Arab organization which is based in Cairo.
Diplomats said Arab foreign ministers are expected to meet in Cairo on Feb. 10 to draw up a program of reforms for consideration at the Tunis Arab summit in March.
Earlier yesterday Saud and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher met with Moussa to discuss the situation in Iraq and efforts to revive the Middle East peace process as well as the shake-up of the Arab League.
“The meeting tackled the situation in Iraq and in Palestine and Arab initiatives aimed at preventing paralysis in the region in the light of the upcoming US election,” Moussa told reporters.
There are fears in the region that US efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be shunted aside during the lengthy campaign for the November presidential election.
