Foreign ministers gather in advance of long-awaited Arab League

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The head of the Arab League said Monday the Middle East was at a crossroads and nations had to choose between justice, peace and progress or "total chaos."

Arab foreign ministers met under tight security to prepare for a summit of heads of state Wednesday that is expected to launch a Saudi proposal demanding Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands in return for full Arab recognition. The ministers were said to be working on phrasing to address the sensitive issue of what to do about millions of Palestinian refugees.

Facing challenges

Arab League chief Amr Moussa said challenges include occupation of Arab land, threats of strikes on an unspecified Arab country -- a reference to U.S. threats of military action against Iraq -- and threats to Islamic culture.

"This summit is sensitive because the international and regional situation is so critical, and we as Arab states and societies face an unfavorable situation at this stage of international developments," Moussa said. "It relates to the future of the entire region: either justice, peace and progress or total chaos and escalating confrontations with consequences nobody can predict."

Before ministers began a closed session, Moussa called for an initiative to "restore matters back to order after the continuous attacks against us and against our positions on various subjects relating to war, peace and the future."

The Palestinian issue is high on the agenda, but it was not clear whether Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would be able to take part in the deliberations. He needs Israeli permission to travel from the Palestinian territories to Beirut, and an Israeli official said Israel will decide whether to grant it only today, the day before the summit.