| The Arabs will ‘be ready to adopt’ the Saudi peace initiative at the Beirut summit, even if Israel prevents Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from attending, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Sunday. ‘We hope that President Arafat will take part in the summit and will be free to move around,’ Maher said after talks between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb. Maher urged Israel to lift the siege it has imposed on Arafat and on the Palestinian people. 'Whether or not Mr. Arafat comes, Saudi Arabia will submit its initiative (to the summit on March 27-28), and the Arab countries will be ready to adopt it and work on this basis,’ he said. |