CAIRO, Feb 29: The secretariat of the Arab League has put off plans to draft a joint Arab response to Washington's Middle East reform plans because of disagreements between Arab states over the best approach, League sources said on Sunday.

On the eve of four days of meetings by Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, the Arab diplomatic sources said some governments, such as Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, favoured a dialogue with the United States and other Western governments to ensure that their reform plans take account of Arab interests.

Other countries, such as Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, say the Arab League members should reject the proposals to prevent any foreign interference in the affairs of the Arab world.

A third view, adopted by countries including Bahrain and Qatar, favours waiting to see what exactly the United States and other Western governments are proposing, the sources added.

The United States has not released details of its Greater Middle East Initiative but a draft published by an Arabic newspaper this month proposes funding for civil society groups to promote free elections, free markets and reform of the judiciary and the education systems in Arab countries.

The response in the Arab world has been overwhelmingly hostile because of suspicion about Washington's intentions and because the draft made it clear that the primary aim was to protect the interests of the United States and its allies.

Arab ministers arriving in Cairo for the meetings said they were against any reform proposals seen as imposed from abroad. The sources said it was not clear at this stage whether the ministerial meeting would pass a resolution on the subject or leave it for an Arab summit meeting in Tunis in late March.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are expected to brief their colleagues on what they have heard from the United States about its intentions, they added.

US Under secretary of State Alan Larson visited the three countries last week to talk about reform. Another State Department official, Marc Grossman, will start a Middle East tour this week to deal with the opposition to the proposals.

In parallel with the US initiative, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer earlier this month called on Western allies to launch a unified Middle East initiative in which social and economic hopes feature as highly as security fears.

Arab League Secretary - General Amr Moussa has said the main Arab objection centres around how the United States drafted its proposals without consulting the countries affected. -Reuters