Arab summit on Barak shelved, Arafat-Assad feud blamed

CAIRO [MENL] -- A proposed five-nation Arab summit to discuss Israel's new government has been shelved, Arab diplomats and officials said on Monday.

They said the key reason was the objection of Syrian President Hafez Assad to sitting at the same table with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Several Arab leaders had called for a summit of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinians and Syria.

"Assad never forgets and when it comes to Arafat he never forgives," an Arab diplomat said on Monday.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa said no invitations have been sent to attend the five-nation summit. "It is still too soon," Mussa told reporters.

Officials said plans for a summit would be reconsidered after Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak forms his government. At this point, they said, appeals by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah did not convince Assad that there is a pressing need for a summit.

Arab diplomats in Cairo said Arafat and Assad had each demanded guarantees to attend the summit. Assad wanted guarantees that Arafat would not complete a separate final status agreement with Israel without Arab approval. Arafat, they said, wanted a commitment that Syria would not sign a peace treaty before the Palestinians.

"We are worried that if the mini-summit took place, it will increase differences between some of the leaders," an official told the Jordan Times on Monday . "If we fail to bridge the gap between Syria and the Palestinian Authority, it will definitely have a negative impact on Arab relations as a whole."

On Monday, Abdullah and Mubarak met in their second meeting in less than 12 hours. On Sunday night, Abdullah and Mubarak held two hours of talks. The meeting included a one-hour private session.

"They discussed the future of the peace process in the Middle East," Egyptian Information Minister Sawfat al-Sherif said on Sunday night, "and the work needed to achieve progress on the Palestinian track in a way go guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. President Mubarak and King Abdullah insisted that the just solution to the Palestinian cause is the cornerstone of the peace process."

From Cairo, Abdullah flew to Algiers. He will arrive in Tunis on Wednesday. The king will also fly to Paris to discuss Jordan's $6.8 billion foreign debt.