Egypt to host mini Arab summit in Red Sea resort ahead of key talks

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- In a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of key U.S.-sponsored Mideast talks, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Wednesday he will be holding a mini-summit of Arab leaders in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

In a meeting with former British prime minister and now peace envoy Tony Blair, Mubarak confirmed that he would be meeting with the Jordanian and Palestinian leaders on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear if Syria and Saudia Arabia would also be attending the meeting, which comes just a day before an important Arab League meeting in Cairo when Arab countries are expected to announce whether they will attend Monday's conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Israelis and Palestinians are expected to present a joint statement on resuming peace talks at Annapolis, yet less than a week before their delegations are to arrive in the United States the document exists only in vague form.

In the Arab world, there has been great suspicion of the conference, with many nations questioning the Bush administration's ability to forge peace, particularly between two leaders weakened by internal political turmoil.