President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan yesterday urged Arab countries to take a serious stand to face the challenges surrounding them. He also called for a unified Arab front and efforts so as to enable Arabs overcome their present weaknesses.

Sheikh Zayed, who made the remark when he received Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa here yesterday at the Al Bahr Palace, said that the leader of a nation must be honest to his people and must shoulder with honesty his responsibilities towards his country and people.

In a statement after the meeting, Moussa said that he had reviewed with Sheikh Zayed the latest developments in the region and the best way to deal with those developments so as to be able to push forward a joint Arab plan that would lead to better understanding of decisive issues among Arab countries.

He said that he had briefed Sheikh Zayed about the results of contacts made by Egypt on important Arab issues in the light of the recent visit to the U.S. by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak where he held talks with U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Egyptian minister said that he had also discussed with Sheikh Zayed plans to improve the Arab League and its associate organisations to enable the League to better serve the joint Arab efforts. He said they also discussed the current situation in the Palestinian occupied territories and the escalation of Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians, in addition to Israel's threats against Syria and Lebanon.

Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the importance of consolidating Arab solidarity and unity to face the dangers and challenges confronting the Arab nations, especially the Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

In a meeting with Moussa, Sheikh Sultan called for the strengthening of Arab collective efforts in this very critical phase in all fields. Sheikh Sultan also congratulated Moussa on the trust endowed in him by the Arab leaders to become the next Arab League Secretary General and expressed his hope for the continued cooperation between the League and the Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up.