BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Control over Jerusalem remains one of the main sticking points in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. A meeting of Arab foreign ministers is under way right now in Cairo aimed at supporting the Palestinians' claims to the city. Here with more on that is CNN's James Martone.</s>JAMES MARTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat set the tone of the Arab League talks, officially called the "Jerusalem Session." "This sacred city is the capital of independent Palestine, no matter what anyone says," Mr. Arafat told ministers. Arab League Chairman Esmat Abdel Maguid told the ministers that Palestinian- Israeli talks faltered over -- quote -- "Israeli stubbornness on the issue of Jerusalem." And Omani Foreign Minister Yusif al-Alawi said, "there can be no peace in the Middle East with Israeli control over Jerusalem." (on camera): Jerusalem is the declared focus of these meetings, but Arab countries say they will be using the two days to concentrate on other Arab issues as well. (voice-over): Arab-African country Somalia was represented by its newly elected president, Abdikassim Salad Hassan. He asked his Arab brethren to support his government, the first after 10 years of civil war in Somalia.</s>PRESIDENT ABDIKASSIM SALAD HASSAN, SOMALIA: I asked them, the heads of states and kings of the Arab countries to stand by the Somali people, to help to establish a sort of a mini-Marshall Plan for Somalia's reconstruction.</s>MARTONE: Iraq is also present at the talks, which are expected to cover ways of dealing with sanctions on that country and the affects on its people. And Sudan's ongoing war is a topic on the Arab League agenda, as is the call for a united Arab stance to stop it. The ministers say they are working toward convening an Arab summit by early next year, a step many countries meeting here say will be the ultimate forum for solving their problems. James Martone, CNN, Cairo.
Status of Jerusalem is Focus of Arab League Meeting in Cairo