RIYADH, April 17: The foreign ministers of five countries bordering Iraq, as well as those from Egypt and Bahrain, are due to start arriving here early Friday for a crucial one-day regional conference on post-war Iraq, officials said.

The ministers of host country Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait, all of which border Iraq, as well as those of regional heavyweight Egypt and current Arab League chairman Bahrain, are expected to focus on ways of restoring stability in Baghdad.

The ministers, due to begin arriving just before noon, will also examine the consequences of the US occupation of Iraq.

According to government officials, the ministers will meet Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, and might also pay a courtesy call to the ailing King Fahd before opening their conference in the late afternoon.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said the “emergency regional conference” was called “in response to the current circumstances and developments in Iraq, which affect the Iraqi people in particular, and (have) repercussions on the countries of the region in general.”

The conference is expected to issue a declaration rejecting US threats against Syria and calling for allowing the Iraqi people to run their own affairs.

The ministers will also focus on the much-needed humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people especially in the medical sector.—AFP