Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques receives call from U.S. President, sends message to Qatari emir

Egyptian president updates Jordanian king on outcome of Quartet summit in Riyadh

GCC Secretary General hails vital role of Saudi monarch in support of Arab solidarity

Political analysts voice content over Riyadh summit

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a telephone call from US President Barack Obama.

During the call, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in various fields to serve the interests of the two friendly countries and peoples.

Regional and international developments, especially the situations in the Middle East region were also discussed between the two leaders.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has sent a message to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, concerning bilateral relations and issues of common interest.

The message was conveyed by Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister, during an audience with the Emir.

Meanwhile, President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan held Thursday 12/3/2009 "very positive" talks on developments in the Arab world, the Palestinian territories in particular.

The Egyptian-Jordanian summit comes after the mini-summit in Saudi Arabia, which Mubarak attended earlier this week.

The talks focused on the latest developments in the Arab arena, along with Arab reconciliation efforts in the wake of a mini Arab summit held in Riyadh on Wednesday 11/3/2009.

Egypt's endeavors to achieve unity among Palestinians were also at the centre of the discussions.

The two sides also tackled bilateral ties as they completed talks during a luncheon the Jordanian king held in honor of the Egyptian leader.

Advisor to the Jordanian king Ayman al-Safadi told MENA correspondent that Mubarak-Abdullah meeting took up efforts to achieve Arab solidarity and Palestinian consensus.

King Abdullah has asserted support for Egyptian efforts to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation, Safadi said.

President Mubarak and King Abdullah II agreed during the summit to continue consultations at the current critical juncture with the aim of uniting Arab ranks and serving the Arab nation's causes.

In statements to MENA, Presidential Spokesman ambassador Suleiman Awwad said the Jordanian monarch reaffirmed his full support to efforts exerted by Mubarak and King Abdallah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to achieve Arab reconciliation and strengthen its pillars.

The Jordanian monarch underscored that he backs an ongoing Palestinian national dialogue hosted by Egypt, with a view to uniting Palestinian ranks, serving the Palestinian people's interests, along with the Palestinian issue which he said is of a key priority to the joint Arab action.

Mubarak was accompanied by a delegation grouping Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, Minister Omar Suleiman, Chief of the Presidential Cabinet Zakaria Azmi and Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Suleiman Awwad.

Mubarak took part in the mini Arab summit in Riyadh to clear the Arab atmosphere. The Riyadh summit grouped him together with King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah.

On the other hand, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit praised as good Egypt's relations with Jordan following a Jordanian-Egyptian summit in the coastal town of Aqaba. Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Abul-Gheit said the talks took up, in addition, regional issues, adding that Cairo and Amman have a joint vision as regards these issues.

Abul-Gheit's Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh described as strong bilateral relations. He said Mubarak's visit came at a crucial timing, particularly after the Riyadh summit and Egypt's efforts to close Palestinian ranks.

The visit aimed to post King Abdullah on the latest developments in this regard, he added. King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak underlined the need to realize Arab solidarity to serve broader Arab interests and deal with common challenges.

At a bilateral meeting in Aqaba, the two leaders agreed to continue coordination and consultation to foster joint Arab work and develop unified stances to address challenges the Arab nation faces, a Royal Court statement said.

During a lunch banquet the King held in honor of Mubarak and the accompanying delegation, the Egyptian president briefed the Monarch on Egypt's efforts to realize Palestinian national reconciliation through dialogue involving different Palestinian groups which was recently launched in Cairo.

The two leaders said such concord serves the Palestinian cause, which is “the core issue in the region”, and enhances Palestinians’ aspirations for obtaining their legitimate rights and building an independent state on their national soil.

Analysts quoted by Reuters said the effort was aimed to restore a semblance of Arab harmony before a summit later this month.

The talks, they said, formalize the return of Damascus to the Arab fold and could help Cairo's efforts to mediate reconciliation between Palestinian groups.

"Syria is back on the team, so this will be good for the Lebanese and the Palestinians in particular," said Jamal Khashoggi, editor of Riyadh-based Al Watan newspaper.

In statements to Jordan Television after the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh said Mubarak's visit comes at a very important time, one day after he took part in the Riyadh summit.

The minister said Mubarak briefed King Abdullah on the latest developments, adding that the two leaders stressed the need to create an appropriate atmosphere to achieve Arab solidarity to serve the interests and causes of the Arabs, especially the Palestinian issue and plans for a comprehensive peace, before the Arab summit in Doha.

The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed the Quartet Arab summit which was held in order to "clear the air" and achieve Arab reconciliation.

Secretary-General of the GCC Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Atiyyah commended the vital and important role undertaken by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in supporting the Arab solidarity.

"In this context, the efforts exerted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques are yet another confirmation that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is pushing the current Arab situation of fragmentation to the prospects of coordination, cooperation and solidarity", Al-Atiyyah added.

Al-Atiyyah pointed out to the initiative launched at Kuwaiti Summit by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to achieve reconciliation between the brothers, stressing the wisdom and right vision enjoyed by the Saudi Monarch in addressing the major challenges.

The Secretary-General of the GCC made clear that the good offices which are currently being undertaken by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, gain now additional importance as it comes on the eve of the forthcoming Arab summit which will be held in Doha, towards which the peoples of the Arab Ummah (Nation) attach a lot of hopes and expectations in the support of the crucial issues, particularly the Palestinian issue.

The quartet Arab summit held in Riyadh by the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Kuwait saw the emergence of a new “Arab Quartet” that pledged the beginning of “a unified approach in Arab politics.”

King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, hosted the summit with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah “to implement a collective will” of the four leaders “to clear the air between Arab countries and achieve reconciliation” in furtherance of King Abdullah’s call made at the Jan. 20 Arab Summit in Kuwait for overcoming past differences in the interests of Arabs.

It was Bashar’s first visit to Riyadh in four years. statement reported by SPA said “the leaders consider their meeting the beginning of a new phase of relationships in which the four countries will serve Arab causes through cooperation and serious, continuous work for the welfare of Arab countries, and through a unified approach in Arab politics on essential causes, topped by the Palestinian issue.”

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said after the meeting that Arab leaders will be informed on what went on in the summit.

“The effort has been exerted and will continue seeking to clear the air between Arab countries,” Prince Saud said.

The mini-summit was called by King Abdullah to further the cause of Arab reconciliation ahead of an Arab summit set for March 29 and 30 in Doha, Qatar.

Palestinians and other Arabs hailed the outcome of the mini-summit.

“This Arab Quartet summit not only gives a push to resolving Arab differences but also to enhancing the ongoing dialogue between Palestinians,” said Nabil Shaath, special envoy to Egypt of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“All Arabs must now end their differences in order to face the common enemy - the new Likud-led government of Benjamin Netanyahu,” Shaath told Saudi Gazette by telephone.

Ismail Haniyeh, who heads Hamas-ruled Gaza, welcomed the development as a “very good step toward returning to Arab unity.”

“We are fed up of the differences,” Haniyeh told Saudi Gazette by telephone. “We have confidence in King Abdullah – this Quartet summit will help make the Doha summit a success.”

Referring to Hamas, Muhammad Subeih, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, said the mini-summit would greatly help the Palestinians, “since having Syria on the path of reconciliation would help convince some factions to return to participation in the Palestinian unity government.” “We are expecting a breakthrough in Arab relations, since some countries have decided to put their past differences aside,” Subeih said.

Dr. Mustafa Al-Fakeih, chairman of Foreign Relations in Egypt’s parliament noted that “Saudi Arabia has always tried to introduce the stability element and minimize the tension element among Arabs by introducing the culture of dialogue and reconciliation.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad underlined that there is no conflict in the Arab interests, saying "in the history of the inter-Arab relations there was no genuine disagreement in the interests, but a difference in viewpoints."

"The problem is that if two Arab sides disagree on an issue, they will transfer the disagreement into other issues, so this should be a motive to work with methodology in dealing with Arab issues," the President said in a speech to the UAE's Al-Khaleej Newspaper.

On the Arab reconciliation and the visit of the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal and the visit of Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar and al-Doha forthcoming Summit, President al-Assad said "the Summit is a reflection of what is between the two summits…and the problem, as Arabs, that we leave all problems to be discussed during the summit… the problem is not in the disagreement because it is not logic to agree on everything."

"We discussed with Prince Saud al-Faisal on managing the Arab disputes… I proposed the term of managing the Arab disputes, the problem is not disagreement, but how to manage the disagreement," the President added.

President al-Assad said that "we as Arabs have a bad management for disagreement, and I believe that we need a methodology to manage the disagreement… and if we differ in the opinion, this won't mean to become enemies and opponents."

The President saw that "we mustn't suppose reconciliation is fulfilled during one meeting or a big step to be done in a meeting; the reconciliation is a long and continuous process."

As for the progress achieved after Prince Saud al-Faisal visit, the President made clear that the progress was first in the frankness, and the progress has been done after a series of meetings between the Syrian and Saudi officials.

"Progress was represented by our discussions on the need for helping the Palestinians and we agreed on the big titles… we are now in the process of a reconciliation... in each meeting we were discussing the Palestinian issue and we don't want to be with a side against the other side… we have also talked with Qatar on the concept of the fund and how to use Gaza reconstruction donations for reconciliation, not division… and I have received an invitation from Prince al-Faisal and we could discuss all these details with King Abdullah and I'm optimistic to reach reconciliation," President al-Assad said.

Regarding the necessity of the Arab agreement on an approach if there was no agreement on the issues, President al-Assad said "in the history of inter-Arab issues we have to go back to the methodology concept in dealing with different issues… there was no conflict in the Arab interests, but disagreement was in the manner of dealing with them."

On Sudan, the President said that the decision of the international Criminal Court was recently issued and it wasn't raised till now in any inter-Arab discussion, stressing "Syria has condemned the issue and there are condemnations from several sides, in general, this issue is not acceptable… and the remaining issue is how we reach the Arab forthcoming Summit with a unified stance."

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah had held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to seek “ways of achieving reconciliation in order to unify Arab ranks,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.

In a statement after the summit, the leaders said they wanted to settle Arab differences.

The meeting is a prelude to the Arab League summit scheduled for March 29 and 30 in Doha.

“The summit-level talks between the Arab leaders mainly focused on the reconciliation efforts between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria that will be of great help in solving regional issues,” said an Arab diplomat after the talks.

He added that the meeting has defused the tension among Arab nations and may greatly help Egypt’s efforts to mediate reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.

The meeting was designed to mark a thaw in frosty relations between Syria on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and Egypt on the other, said analysts.

“King Abdullah and Syrian President Assad also held a separate meeting before the four-way Arab summit talks started,” the SPA said.

During the meeting, King Abdullah and Assad discussed “issues of mutual interest as well as ways of enhancing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Syria in various fields,” according to the SPA report.

King Abdullah also hosted a lunch in honor of his guests. Several members of royal family, ministers and a large number of high-ranking Saudi, Syrian, Egyptian and Kuwaiti officials attended the banquet.

The delegation accompanying Assad included Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem, chief adviser Buthaina Shaaban and Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.

Speaking to reporters after the summit, Prince Saud said Arab leaders would be informed of the details of the Riyadh talks during the upcoming Arab summit in Doha. “Efforts are continuing to improve inter-Arab relations,” he added.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora welcomed recent efforts toward Arab rapprochement, saying that Lebanese-Syrian reconciliation would benefit Lebanon.

Speaking during an interview with Al-Jazeera news channel, Siniora said Lebanon would "benefit the most from Arab reconciliation."

The premier added that Syria's "key role in the region cannot be ignored."

"Syria embraces Arab causes and blocks foreign interventions in Arab affairs and Lebanon in turn should embrace Syria," he said.

Siniora, however, emphasized that Lebanon was not in need of a "chaperon" with regard to peace talks with Israel.

"We can speak for ourselves," he said, adding that Lebanon was committed to UN Resolutions 425 and 1701, and to the Arab Peace Initiative.

Siniora was responding to remarks made by Syrian President Bashar Assad, who last week expressed his wish to engage Hezbollah and Hamas in his country's indirect peace talks with Israel.

Siniora said criticisms that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is politicized were "unfair."

"We are determined to keep the tribunal away from politics," Siniora said.