Saudis say Arab League open to changes in peace plan

     Arab foreign ministers on Monday agreed to revive a five-year-old plan for peace with Israel and called for contacts with all players in the Middle East peace process -- including the Jewish state. "The Arab foreign ministers approved the Arab peace plan without amendment and in its initial form," Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib said, referring to the blueprint first adopted at a summit in Beirut in 2002. Jordan’s King Abdullah II urged Israel on Monday to “respond positively” to an Arab peace plan, saying Israel and the Palestinians should seize the moment to make peace. Abdullah made the comments during talks with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is touring the region urging Arab leaders to amend their 2002 plan so it can be a basis for a new push for the peace process. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has suggested that Arab leaders would be willing to consider changes in their 2002 peace offer to Israel to make it compatible with new developments. At a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers ahead of the league's summit in Riyadh, Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said that it is expected "...from the Arabs to take notice of new developments that require additions and developments to whatever is offered by leaders in order to make resolutions that are compatible with issues and problems that are dire and new..." The Saudi foreign minister said his country wants the summit to come out with one Arab voice towards issues of destiny, and in particular, the Palestinian issue. Until now, Arab leaders have publicly rejected Israeli calls for them to make changes to a 2002 Arab peace offer, as a first step toward ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.(19,00)