"Besides the Arab initiative for peace, American and international moves are being made to push forward the Middle East process," the Egyptian Foreign Minister has said.

Ahmed Abul-Gheit made it clear that Egypt was pro-Arab initiative reached by the Arab summit in Beirut. "This will not change," he told Al-Arabiya news channel Tuesday.

Abul-Gheit's statements come after repeated visits by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Egypt have been seen as attempts to influence Cairo to change its stance towards the settlement issue.

"This is not the first visit [Rice] pays to Egypt," the top diplomat said, noting that his US counterpart has been talking about Washington's desire to re-assume an active role in the political settlement since December.

"I can't see how Rice's visit at such time would be seen as an attempt [to get Egypt to adopt a new attitude]," Abul-Gheit said.

The upcoming Arab summit in Riyadh will prove otherwise, the Foreign Minister said, pointing out that "we'll go to the summit and come out with a strong Arab stance, committed to the [Beirut] initiative and previous Arab proposals".

The Arab stance will advocate peace as a strategic choice, Abul-Gheit stressed.

Rice is expected to come to Egypt in April and later in the summer.

Moreover, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit probed with visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Welch on Tuesday20/3/2007 preparations for the upcoming Arab quartet meeting with US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice.

The meeting will be attended by officials from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister told Welch that the coming meeting with the US State Secretary, slated for March 24 in Egypt, should prepare the ground for the resumption of the Middle East peace process, his spokesman Alaa el-Hadidi said.

This involves encouraging direct negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on the target of the so-called roadmap plan on Middle East peace, Hadidi quoted Abul-Gheit as saying.

The Egyptian top dipolomat affirmed that there was a unanimous Arab stance as regards commitment to the Arab peace initiative and the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict via the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.

For his part,Welch said talks with Abul-Gheit centred on thePalestinian-Israeli issue.

Describing his meeting with Abul-Gheit as constructive and unique, Welch praised the role played by the Egyptian leadership in support of
efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Welch highlighted the importance of working on making true the vision of two states, living side by side in peace.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State said Tuesday20/3/2007 that Egypt is heading to a major political and economic reform, and the coming referendum of the constitutional amendments will pave the way to any one to express his opinion freely.

Spokesman for the State Department Sean McCormick said those amendments are part of the political reform process, and open the door for Egyptians to communicate with those they elected.