Yasser Arafat Sets Off For Arab Tour

Leader of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat took off on Sunday morning for Cairo, which will be the first station of his Arab tour. Arafat's advisor Nabil Abu Rudeine has said that the Palestinian leader will meet Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. On Sunday evening, he will leave for Saudi Arabia to hold talks with King Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah. Amman will be the last station of the Palestinian leader. There he will meet Jordanian King Abdullah II, said Abu Nabil Rudeine. In his words, Arafat's trip is aimed at coordinating the positions of Arab nations before US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs William Burns and Special Envoy of the US Secretary of State Anthony Zinni arrive in the Middle East. The American representatives will probe for ways of implementing the new US initiative on the Middle East settlement.