Hamas pledges loyalty to Arabs

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, (AFP) - Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has assured Saudi Arabia his movement is loyal to Arab states, the kingdoms Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said on Tuesday.
I asked Khaled Meshaal whether the movement stood with Arabs or with others, Prince Saud said, referring to Iran, a strong regional backer of Hamas.
Meshaal insisted that Hamas was an Arab movement and that the Palestinian question was an Arab issue, the Saudi Minister said at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The exchange between Prince Saud and Meshaal occurred on Sunday during a visit by the Hamas leader to Saudi Arabia. Prince Sauds visit to Egypt is part of a string of regional meetings aimed at reviving peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which have been stalled for a year.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Jordans King Abdullah II were in Egypt on Monday for talks with Mubarak, a week after a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Later, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal briefed Egypt on talks it held with the leader of Hamas on any reconciliation with rival Palestinian group Fatah, but indicated it was unlikely to host further such discussions.