The 123rd meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers, which will start today at the headquarters of the Arab League, are set to focus on the latest developments in the Arab world, especially the mounting international pressure on Syria and the situation in Lebanon, Arab diplomats said. The two-day meeting will also address the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iraq and Sudan.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit discussed the agenda of the meeting at a press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal. "The meeting aims at coordination to ensure the success of the upcoming summit in Algeria," Abul Gheit told the reporters. The minister tackled the situation in Lebanon and the international pressure on Syria. "We discussed the Egyptian vision in this regard and exchanged views on the recent Egyptian-Syrian and Saudi-Syrian contacts," he said.

Abul Gheit said talks now revolve on how to devise a mechanism to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559. He noted that the eventual aim of the Taif agreement and Resolution 1559 is a Syrian pullout from Lebanon. The 1989 Taif Accord ending Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war called for redeploying Syrian troops to eastern Lebanon, followed by an agreement on a timetable for a full withdrawal. "Egypt is encouraging Syria to reach a solution to the situation in Lebanon as soon as possible." He added that he has no information about an Egyptian-Saudi-Syrian summit in Riyadh today reported by some media.