Pakistan to host Saudi, Turkey, Egypt for talks on Mideast war

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ISLAMABAD: Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad for talks on the war in the Middle East, the Pakistan government said on Saturday (Mar 28).Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on X that he was "looking forward to welcoming (his) brother Foreign Ministers" to the country.His ministry said earlier that the ministers would be in Islamabad on Sunday and Monday, and a meeting is also expected with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif."During the visit, the Foreign Ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region," a statement read.As part of preparations for the meeting, Sharif spoke to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian for an hour on Saturday, a Pakistan government source told AFP.The pair have spoken previously in recent weeks about the conflict and Pakistan's commitment to bringing it to an end.A separate foreign ministry source earlier told AFP that the quadrilateral meeting would take place on Monday, with delegations expected to arrive in Pakistan by Sunday evening.Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as the conflict drags on, serving as an intermediary for messages between the two sides.Islamabad has longstanding links with Tehran and close contacts in the Gulf, while Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have struck up a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump.Ankara's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the private A Haber broadcaster that the meeting was initially planned to be held in Turkey."However, since our Pakistani counterparts are required to remain in their country, we moved the meeting to Pakistan," he said late on Friday.Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said earlier on Friday he expected a direct US-Iran meeting in Pakistan "very soon", without revealing his source.While Tehran has refused to admit to holding official talks with Washington, Iran has passed a response to Trump's 15-point plan to end the war via Islamabad, according to an anonymous source cited by the Iranian Tasnim news agency.