For the first time ever, the 22-nation Arab League is set to send a delegation to Israel. Its mission: to discuss a sweeping peace initiative with the Jewish state, as well as the threat posed by Hamas and other Islamic extremist movements.

The Arab League and the government of Israel both welcomed the appointment of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a top peacemaking envoy to the Middle East.

An Israeli Cabinet member says the government wants to open peace talks with Syria and is prepared to discuss terms for returning the Golan Heights. The Cabinet minister's comments follow a newspaper report on Israeli overtures to Damascus.

Jordan's King Abdullah has urged Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to accept an Arab peace initiative for a Middle East settlement.

The newly-elected president of Mauritania, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, says he wants an open debate about the Islamic country's almost decade-old diplomatic ties with Israel. Mauritania is one of few countries with such ties that belong to the Arab League, an organization of about 20 mostly Arabic states.

A senior Israeli official says Syria needs to take concrete actions to reduce tensions with Israel if peace talks are to resume. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem the Israeli comments follow those by U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who said Wednesday in Damascus that Syria's president is ready to negotiate with Israel.

Despite criticism from U.S. President George W. Bush, the leading Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus today.

Saudi Arabia says Israel should first clearly accept Arab peace initiative before the kingdom would consider talks. A statement from the Saudi cabinet Monday did not directly refer to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's invitation to Arab leaders to attend a Middle East peace conference.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has proposed holding a regional peace conference with Arab leaders to discuss ideas for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.