Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit Underlined Egypt's commitment to the Arab peace initiative, launched at the Beirut Arab summit in 2002, without undergoing any amendment as agreed during the 2007 Riyadh Arab summit.

He made the remark during a ministerial meeting of an Arab peace initiative committee at the Arab League general secretariat.

The overture called for holding negotiations with Israel in order to clinch a compromise on Israel's withdrawal from occupied Arab lands as a final solution to the regional conflict.

The initiative also urged the international community to exert more efforts to reach a final settlement in this regard.

Abul-Gheit averred that Egypt's aim was to realize durable and comprehensive peace in the region under international legitimacy and the relevant United Nations resolutions.

The foreign Minister added that the Arab side was committed to establishing normal ties with Israel within the framework of the initiative, but Israel should first take confidence-building measures and start serious negotiations based on the Arab initiative.

Abul-Gheit welcomed an agreement reached during the committee meeting on the formation of a working team that would hold contacts with all bodies concerned in order to activate the Arab peace initiative and take steps for putting it into force.

He noted that the team would also call for holding an international conference comprising all parties to resume negotiations at all levels.