RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 4 (UPI) -- Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal is expected this weekend to seek a more effective European role in the Middle East in talks with his Norwegian counterpart, Saudi sources said Thursday.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen is to begin a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Petersen and al-Faisal are expected to focus on European efforts to implement the Arab peace initiative.
The Arab peace initiative was first put forward by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah before being adopted March 28 by the Arab League summit in Beirut.
The Saudis want to see Europe pressure Israel to stop its incursions into Palestinian territories and to lift the siege on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Israeli forces have confined Arafat to his war-damaged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Norway played a key role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process when it hosted secret talks that led to the 1993 Oslo accords providing for Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Petersen visited Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories last February in an attempt to halt violence between the Israelis and Palestinians.
