HIGHLIGHTS: 'Occupation, murder and sabotaged must stop first,' Amr Moussa||Quartet Group Proposed Conference After the Arab Beirut Summit in April||STORY: Arab foreign ministers meeting in Beirut, Lebanon said Saturday Israel has to withdraw it occupation troops from Palestinian-ruled territory first before any serious discussions on convening an international peace conference could begin. (Read photo caption)

After two days of meetings , Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said it would be difficult to take part in the conference, which was proposed by the United States, the European Union and Russia on May 2, as long as Israeli "occupation, murder and sabotage" continued in the West Bank and Gaza.

"As long as this persists, it will be difficult to talk about a conference or otherwise," Moussa said.

The idea of an international conference was put forward around a month after an Arab summit adopted a Saudi peace plan based on establishing ties with Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab lands.

The summit assigned the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestinian delegates to follow up on the Saudi plan.

PHOTO CAPTION

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara (R) chats May 18, 2002 with Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa (L-back head) as Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (C) looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri (rear) at his home. Next to Hariri is Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud. Arab foreign ministers failed to agree on whether to take part in a Middle East Peace conference after two days of meetings on Saturday. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi