Riyadh  - Egypt and Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday their support to the Kuwait summit to be held on January 19, refusing the Arab leaders extraordinary summit in Qatar.

A statement, released after a meeting between Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and Saudi King Abdullah, said they supported the Kuwait meeting in order to find "a way to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza," reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

"Saudi Arabia and Egypt will take part in the Arab summit in Kuwait ... to find a way to bring peace to the Palestinian people," read the statement.

Mubarak paid an unscheduled state visit to Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which started on December 27, leaving more than 920 people dead and 4,200 injured.

"The Egyptian and Saudi sides agreed that there must be an immediate ceasefire and immediate, full implementation of Egypt's initiative," added the statement.

Egypt last week announced a proposal for an immediate ceasefire from Israel and all Palestinian factions so that aid could reach civilians, easing the blockade of Gaza, and tightening security to prevent weapons-smuggling into the Gaza Strip controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Qatar has requested an emergency Arab Summit to be held in Doha this Friday. While Lebanon, Syria and Algeria have agreed to attend, both Saudi Arabia and Egypt refused to participate.

"We do not see it as appropriate to hold another summit," Ahmad al-Qattan, Saudi's representative at the Arab League, told the Saudi owned al-Arabiya news channel on Tuesday.

The Arab foreign ministers meeting is to precede a two-day economic summit in Kuwait on January 19. (dpa)