United States Senator Edmund Muskie, a leading contender for the Democrat Presidential nomination next year, conferred yesterday (Tuesday) with Mr Mahmoud Riad, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic. The senator is on a fact-finding mission to the Middle East.

The Senator had come to Cairo after a similar visit to Israel. Mr Riad was just back from talks with British, French and Italian leaders on ways to settle the Middle East crisis.

Mr. Riad told Senator Muskie what he considered the major obstacles to peace, informed sources reported, and also emphasised his country's dissatisfaction over United States aid to Israel.

Today (Wednesday) Senator Muskie flew on to Moscow. Before he left he gave a press conference in which he appealed to Arabs and Israelis to "take some risks on the consequences of peace". He said he had found neither puppets nor warmongers in the area; the vital missing ingredient was confidence.