Arab foreign ministers have opened two days of talks in Algiers to prepare for a summit of Arab leaders next week.

The ministers are expected to discuss a Jordanian proposal to revive a Middle East peace plan first adopted in 2002. The proposal aims at revising the long-standing Arab strategy for normalizing relations with Israel by sidestepping direct reference to the Jewish state's return of occupied Arab territories.

They are also expected to review recommendations for amending the Arab League charter.

The Algiers summit comes at a crucial time in the region, with Iraq trying to put together a government amid continuing violence, efforts to restart the Middle East peace process and the Lebanon crisis.