The ministerial meeting was called by Saudi Arabia after the kingdom's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal made a surprise visit to Damascus on Monday for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Iraq's security and sovereignty.

In his opening address, Prince Saud al-Faisal said the foreign ministers of the countries neighboring Iraq were meeting here to discuss the situation of Iraq and serious war consequences to the region.

He stressed the importance of safeguarding the sovereignty, integrity and independence of Iraqi people, and urged the foreign forces to leave Iraq as soon as possible.

"Our region suffered war and conflict over the past decade and we should work hard to make the war in Iraq become the last one," he added.

The minister noted the UN role in rebuilding Iraq and providing humanitarian aid.

While rejecting the US accusation of Syria, he welcomed US Secretary of State Collin Powell's recent overture to visit Syria. "We hope the efforts will be successful and contribute tothe peace-making in the region," he said.

On the issue of Palestine, the Saudi foreign minister urged United States to exert more efforts to bring all parties concerned back to the negotiation table in accordance with the 1993 Oslo accords.

The foreign ministers were expected to discuss ways to help forma national government in Iraq and shorten the US military presence there.

Top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt and Bahrain met for the first time after the outbreak of war in Iraq late last month.

Regional countries held a similar conference on Jan. 23 in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul in a bid to prevent the US-led war.

Friday's gathering came at a critical moment. Analysts say recent developments show the situation will remain volatile for quite some time.

Saudi Arabia's proposal for a meeting of nations bordering Iraq indicates that these countries are feeling the heat of war and that they are concerned about the future of this area, as the future of Iraq does not concern the Iraqis alone.

(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2003)