Saudi Arabia, Japan and Egypt yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to work jointly to restore peace and stability to the Middle East. The three countries also decided to set up a working group to evaluate the overall situation in the Arab world, particularly in Iraq and Palestine. The working group will meet next month to make an assessment of the situation, it was announced at a press conference here jointly addressed by Minister of Planning and Economy Dr. Khaled Al-Gosaibi, former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Director of Library of Alexandria Dr. Ismail Serageldin. The three addressed the media after concluding the third round of Japan-Arab dialogue, which discussed the Middle East peace process and the situation in Iraq, according to a report published today by Arab News. They said some progress has already been made on a proposal to set up a Japan-Arab technical university. They also said more Arab countries would possibly take part in the future sessions of the Japan-Arab dialogue. --MORE 1036 Local Time 0736 GMT
