Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz left Beirut for Damascus Wednesday to discuss with his Arab counterparts whether to attend the latest round of Mideast peace talks in Washington next week.
Accompanied by chief negotiator Suheil Shammas, Boueiz was scheduled to meet with Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam in the Syrian mountain resort of Bloudane prior to the Damascus talks to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon.
Lebanese officials said Boueiz would focus on mounting Christian opposition to the parliamentary election scheduled to be held Sunday in his talks with Khaddam.
Christians fear that free elections would be jeopardized by the presence of Syrian troops in Beirut.
Boueiz was later due to return to Damascus to attend a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The Arab conferees, who decided to meet after President Bush promised to grant Israel up to $10 billion in loan guarantees, were to discuss a unified stand regarding Arab participation in the Washington talks.
The talks were expected to touch on the role of the United States in the peace process, the special relationship between the United States and Israel and the impact of the loan guarantees on the peace talks.
