A committee of seven Arab foreign ministers Tuesday tried to draft an agenda for the upcoming Arab summit amid hints that Syria might relent in demanding a postponement because of the Persian Gulf war.
Conference sources said a 2 -hour session Tuesday evening was inconclusive and another meeting will be held Wednesday morning. The committee did not issue any statement.
But the arrival of Syrian Foreign Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam in the Jordanian capital Tuesday evening in the company of the Algerian Foreign Minister Mohammad Saddiq Bin Yahia was thought to have at least some significance.
One knowledgeable Jordanian observer said Khaddam presence clearly meant that Syria, which has been pushing for a postponement of the summit, was ready to relent.
However, there was little substance to Khaddam’s statement to official Jordan news agency, in which he said:
‘The challenges which are facing the Arab nation, particularly Zionism, Arab division and imperialistic domination, dictate to the Arabs the need to embark on joint action, adopt a unified position and tackle all aspects of the current Arab situation in a fundamemental manner.’
He made no comment on Syria’s intentions regarding the summit itself.
The foreign ministers of Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Algeria and a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization are trying to forge an agenda for the summit of Arab kings and heads of state planned for Nov. 25.
The sources said Algeria and the PLO share the Syrian view, although there has been no official word on the subject from either party.
Syria previously called for a postponement of the summit ‘because of prevailing conditions in the region.’ The PLO is reported to be taking a ‘wait and see’ attitude.
Squabbling among Arab states was triggered by the Iraqi-Iranian war. Syria, Libya and South Yemen have supported Iran, while Jordan has come out in favor of Iraq in the struggle.
The polarization has led to a break in diplomatic relations among several Arab states.
Jordanian officials said they had completed all preparations to receive the 21 Arab heads of state on the scheduled date.
