Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal arrived in Damascus, Syria, from Egypt today as part of a regional tour to discuss the Middle East crisis with other Arab leaders.
But the prince, who will go to Lebanon and Jordan tomorrow, denied his trip was aimed at paving the way for an Arab mini-summit on the violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The situation as it is needs inter-Arab coordination [but] there are Arab summits held regularly," he said.
Prince Faisal also said he had a message from King Fahd for Syrian President Mr Bashar al-Assad about the "permanent coordination" between their two countries.
Saudi newspapers reported today Riyadh was trying to organise a meeting between US President Mr George W. Bush and Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat in a bid to end nearly a year of bloodshed that has killed over 760.
They said the push for Bush-Arafat talks was at the heart of the prince's tour, which included talks with Egyptian President Mr Hosni Mubarak earlier today.
"During his brief visit to Amman Wednesday, Prince Faisal will have talks with King Abdullah II on the worsening of the situation in the region because of continued Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians," a Saudi embassy official told AFPin Amman.
In Lebanon he is due to meet with President Mr Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Mr Rafiq Hariri.
AFP