Two messages from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Mubarak, British Premier

Prince Saud Al-Faisal meets German foreign minister

King Abdullah II: Middle East is at crossroads

Islamic Ministerial Council calls on world countries to protect Palestinians from Israel

Israel decides to build another Israeli separation wall on borders with Egypt

Fayad says not expecting peace deal to be reached by year's end

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has sent a message to British Premier Gordon Brown concerning boosting the bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international issues of common interest. The message was handed by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, during an audience with the British premier here last night.

In a statement here today, the British premiership said that during the audience, the two sides discussed the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom and ways of booting them as well as issues of conflict in the Middle East region and ways of boosting the peace process in the region.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in London as both countries call on Nato members to step up their commitment in Afghanistan, SKY NEWS reported.

The meetings are strategy sessions designed to put together a joint case ahead of a Nato heads of government summit in the spring.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, met here today with German Foreign Minister the regional affairs.

During the meeting, they discussed ways of booting the bilateral relations as well as the situation in the Middle East and the issues of common interest.

In Cairo, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak received Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister.

The meeting was attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul-Gheit and Saudi Arabia's permanent delegate to the Arab League Abdulaziz Kattan.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei.

ElBaradei arrived on Thursday from Vienna on a week visit to Egypt to hold talks with officials on the possibility of cooperation between Egypt and the Agency in using nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

Talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and visiting King Juan Carlos of Spain were "warm" and reflected the deep-rooted ties between the two countries, Egypt's top diplomat said. At a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Moratinos, Abul-Gheit also added the discussions were "serious and successful".

On the other hand, a depth discussion took place between the Egyptian president and the visiting Spanish king on the regional situation and bilateral ties, said Abul-Gheit. A friendship agreement was signed between the two countries to boost bilateral ties to unprecedented levels, he said, noting it was the second between Spain and a south Mediterranean country.

A financial agreement was also signed in the financial and economic domains including several protocols, he said.

Meantime, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos said he discussed with Abul-Gheit regional developments topped by the latest developments in Gaza. Spain backs the Egyptian stance and the Palestinians, said Moratinos, adding that his country has kept asking Israel to return the situation to normal in the coastal strip to end the state of disappointment and the suffering of the inhabitants in order to restart the peace process.

Egypt and Spain have taken part in the US-backed peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, he said, adding that the two countries were keen on putting an end to the current deterioration. Talks with Abul-Gheit have also tackled Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, he said.

Foreign ministers of Arab and European countries overlooking the Mediterranean will meet in Malta, said Moratinos, noting the meeting reflected keenness of the two sides to reach a joint vision on regional issues. On Gaza-Egypt borders, Moratinos said he hoped a solution would be reached on re-operation of the Rafah crossing, now that some Egyptian suggestions were proposed on this score.

Abul-Gheit said: "We call on the authorities in control in the Gaza Strip to allow monitors and members of the Palestinian National Authority to return to the Rafah crossing to re-operate it." Egypt also urges the European side to facilitate the return of the monitors to the crossing. He appealed to Hamas leaderships to act wisely and seek to discourage Palestinians from infringing the Egyptian borders.

On masked Palestinian gunmen who crossed borders and clashed with Egyptian border guards, Abul-Gheit said Egypt is generous and patient. But Egypt's patience has limits, he warned.

"Our Palestinian brothers should realize that their real battle is with Israel not Egypt," he expounded. Hamas's control over Gaza contradicts with the crossings' agreement, the legal status of the Palestinian National Authority and Egypt's recognition of the authority, he said.

On an Egyptian invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit Cairo and his acceptance, Abul-Gheit said he had no information on the issue.

In Jeddah, foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) opened an emergency meeting to discuss the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip followed by Israel's cutoff of food, medicine, fuel, and electricity to the territory. The meeting was held upon Iran's call.

OIC Secretary General Ikmaleddine Ihsan Uglo stressed the significance of the extraordinary session of the OIC Foreign Ministers Expanded Executive Committee for supporting the Palestinian people.

According to Kuwait News Agency, Uglo condemned the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, including the closure of border crossings.

What is going on in Gaza is the last episode of a long series of Israeli illegal aggressions and practices against the Palestinians in breach of international law, the OIC chief diplomat noted.

Addressing the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called on the Islamic countries to abide by their commitment in "boycotting" the Zionist regime and send "humanitarian aid" to the Palestinians stranded in the Gaza Strip.

Human rights activists have called the Gaza Strip the largest open prison on the earth.

Mottaki condemned Israel's crimes against the Gaza residents, saying, "These days a real slaughter is underway in the 1.5-million Gaza prison and an oppressed nation is being subjected to massacre by repeated bombardments, helicopter and tank attacks and a simultaneous cutoff of water, electricity and foodstuff."

Iran's foreign minister said the statements by the U.S. president in Annapolis on a "Jewish state" indicated that a secret agreement has been put in force to drive out Muslims and Christians from Palestine thus after the Annapolis conference more than 150 Palestinian women and men have been martyred at the hands of the Zionist army.

"The Islamic countries should abide by their commitment in boycotting the Zionist regime and the OIC member countries should break the Gaza blockade and move on sending humanitarian aid."

He also asked the OIC members to act in coordinated move to mobilize the international community to take a serious action against the Zionists' crimes in Palestine.

The United Nations should take a look at the events in the Gaza Strip with due care and fulfill its duty of preventing the ongoing atrocities against this nation.

According to media reports, over 96 Gazans lost their lives since January 16 when Israeli escalated its violent attacks on the defenseless people living in Gaza.

Israeli is pursuing "scorched earth policy" with the aim of wiping out the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, a Jeddah-based OIC diplomat told IRNA.

Visiting European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Sunday the European body is prepared to resume its role in monitoring Rafah crossing at the Egyptian-Gaza border under a 2005 agreement.

Solana, who arrived in Cairo Saturday on a two-day visit to Egypt, made the remarks at a joint press conference with Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa following their talks.

"We are ready to resume work in the Rafah crossing in case an agreement was reached," said Solana, adding the EU is seeking to cooperate with parties concerned to work out an agreement on the subject.

Noting he held important and beneficial talks with Egyptian and AL officials on the issue, Solana said he will return to the region to follow up the development within the coming weeks.

For his part, Moussa said the Cairo-based AL and the EU are partners in efforts to revive the Mideast peace process, adding the two international organizations share mutual understanding on many issues.

Moussa said "the Israeli occupation" is the root cause of the Palestinian problem, warning the Israeli policy of closures in Gaza could trigger further chaos in the area.

Earlier in the day, Solana also held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the Palestinian issue, particularly matters related to Gaza incidents.

The U.S.-brokered deal, which was reached in November 2005, allows the Rafah terminal to run with Palestinian Presidential Guard controlling the Palestinian side of the crossing while (EU) monitors acting as a third party.

On Saturday, Hamas negotiator Mohammed Nasser said Hamas accepts the return of EU monitors to Rafah border crossing if they reside in Gaza or Egypt, but not in Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's top negotiator, Ahmed Qurie, told a U.S. envoy on Saturday that a peace deal with Israel would only be possible this year if commitments by both sides were met.

Qurie told visiting Assistant U.S. Secretary of State David Welch that Israel has not met its obligations under a long-stalled "road map" peace plan, such as halting all settlement activity and uprooting outposts built without government authorization in the occupied West Bank.

"We talked about the possibility of achieving peace this year and an agreement with Israel this year. We said yes it is possible but with good will from both sides," Qurie said.

He added the peace process would require continuous support from the "Quartet" of Middle East negotiators -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- and the international community.

During a visit to Israel and the West Bank last month, U.S. President George W. Bush set as a goal reaching an agreement on Palestinian statehood before he leaves office next January.

But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has already made clear he won't implement any statehood agreement until Abbas reins in militants in the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who heads Abbas's Western-backed government in the West Bank, told Reuters on Thursday that he did not believe a "final resolution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be completed in 2008.

In Jordan, Jordan's King Abdullah II urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday to summon the courage required to end their decades-long conflict and achieve peace, the palace said.

"Israeli and Palestinian leaders should have the necessary courage to reach the aspired-for peace," a statement quoted the king as telling a group of European MPs. "This year the Middle East is at a crossroads, and the Israelis and Palestinians should know if they want peace and stability. The world should help find a future for the Palestinians and peace for Israel."

Warning about the impact of what he called Israel's "negative practices" on the newly revived peace process, he said "people cannot take steps towards peace and prosperity as long as the killing machine's work continues daily."

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began talks last month on the thorniest issues of the Middle East conflict after the peace process was re-launched at a US-sponsored international conference last November.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas have said they hope to reach a historic peace agreement by the end of 2008. The MPs from 25 European countries, who are members of the MedBridge Strategy Centre, are currently on a regional tour that will also include Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt, according to the palace.

The centre seeks to "create a better understanding and promote peace, security and stability in this volatile region," according to its website.

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On the other hand, His Majesty King Abdullah II highlighted on Monday Jordan’s keenness to boost relations with Iraq in the various domains and mainly in the economic and commercial ones.

King also affirmed, during a meeting with Iraqi Minister of Finance Bayan Jaber Al Zubaidi, Jordan’s support for efforts being exerted to achieve the national accordance to build a united, secure and stable Iraq.

King and Zubaidi discussed the latest developments on the Iraqi arena, where His Majesty reiterated that unity and solidarity of Iraqis are the only way to confront challenges facing Iraq.

For his part, Zubaidi noted to the Iraqi government’s keenness to cement relations with Jordan, pointing to the importance of cooperation between the private sectors in both countries. He also noted his country’s desire to invite the Jordanian private sector to invest in Iraq, which is living an economic boom in all domains.