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US Secretary of State Colin Powell called his Jordanian counterpart Marwan Moasher on Monday to discuss reforms in the Arab world and how to move forward the Middle East peace process, the State Department said Tuesday.
Addressing a news briefing, spokesman Richard Boucher said US embassies in the Middle East are also in touch with Arab governments to hear from them about the Arab summit which was originally scheduled to open in Tunisia on Monday but was abruptly put off over the weekend.
The summit collapsed reportedly because the Arab countries could not agree on how to come out with a common response to a US plan to promote "democracy and reforms" in the region.
"They talked about the situation in the Arab world. They talked about reform in the Arab world. They talked about the peace process and how to move forward," Boucher said of the contacts between US embassies and the Arab governments in the region.
Talking about a trip by a team of three US envoys to Europe and the Middle East, Boucher said the team will also visit Amman and Cairo, following stops in Brussels and Jerusalem this week.
The team comprises US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs William Burns, Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and Eliot Abrams, a senior director of National Security Council who is responsible for Middle East affairs.
The State Department has described the goal of the trip as a continuation of US consultations over Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to withdraw from Gaza Strip.
Boucher said the delegation will meet with both Israeli and Palestinian officials during their stay in Jerusalem but he refused to provide details on the venues and timings.
(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2004)
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