Lebanon is turning into a busy hub of current inter-Arab diplomatic activities and consultations prior to the scheduled Arab summit due to take place in the Lebanese capital in just a few days from now.
On Tuesday, the Saudi Foreign Minister, the Iranian vice president and the Jordanian foreign minister separately held in Beirut talks with the Lebanese leadership.
The Saudi foreign minister held a meeting in Cairo, where he had held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as part of the preparations for the summit. The Saudi minister also met Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab league and Ahmed Maher, the Egyptian foreign minister.
Later, the Saudi minister met Syrian President Bashar Assad and discussed with him the Saudi Middle East peace plan expected to dominate the summit, the Syrian official news agency SANA said.
It said the talks also focused on preparations for the Arab League meeting in Beirut on March 27-28. The Saudi minister arrived in Beirut on Tuesday afternoon ahead of talks with Lebanese officials.
There were no further details on discussion of the peace plan which Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, de facto ruler of the kingdom, is inclined to present to the 22-member Arab League during the Beirut meeting.
The plan calls for complete Israeli withdrawal from all Arab land occupied in the 1967 Six Day War in return for full normalisation of Arab ties with Israel. It aims to end nearly 18 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence in which over 1,400 people, mainly Palestinians, have been killed.
Syria has expressed qualified support for the Saudi proposal. Diplomats say it wants to emphasise demands for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
After his three-capital tour, the Saudi minister said he heard no reservations to the peace initiative his country intends to present at the summit.
Speaking to reporters after meeting his Lebanese counterpart, Mahmoud Hammoud, al-Faisal stated the plan addresses Arab positions such as Israeli withdrawal and the issue of Palestinian refugees.
"We did not hear any reservations," he said. "We explained the goals of the initiative ... and everyone was convinced with these visions. This is what the summit will reflect."
Meanwhile, Iranian Vice President Mohammed Ali Abtahi arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday to convey a letter from Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to his Lebanese counterpart Emile Lahud.
Additionally, Jordanian foreign minister Marwan al-Muashar was also expected to arrive in Beirut Tuesday night for high-level talks on issues concerning the Arab summit.
Arab league secretary general Amr Moussa is expected to arrive in Lebanon Friday to take part in two preparatory meetings for the summit.
The Arab foreign ministers are due to meet on March 25th in order to draft the statement of the summit. Lebanese army troops have started taking tight security precautions around the location of the summit, which is scheduled to take place at the seaside Pheneocia hotel.(Albawaba.com)
