Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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When private turns public

By Khaled Dawoud

President Hosni Mubarak's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday capped a series of talks the Egyptian leader has held in Paris since his arrival on a private visit 10 days ago. In meetings with French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Barak, the Middle East peace process topped the agenda. Both the Palestinian and Israeli leaders were in France to take part in a Socialist International conference which opened in Paris on Monday. They requested the meetings with Mubarak.

In all his meetings Mubarak affirmed Egypt's readiness to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate talks on the Palestinian-Israeli track and to revive the stalled Israeli-Syrian negotiations.

Mubarak, who went to France for treatment of an ear infection, parried questions about his health at the press conference following his meeting with Chirac on Friday. "Rest fully assured," he told reporters, "I am fine, as you can see from my standing in front of you."

Responding to questions on the peace process at a joint news conference with Chirac, Mubarak said that it was not at a standstill "despite the obstacles it faces every now and then".

Concerning the situation in Sudan and reported differences between Egypt and the US on ways of ending the war in the south and arranging a reconciliation between the Khartoum government and exiled opposition groups, Mubarak said that one of cornerstones of Egyptian policy is to maintain the territorial integrity Sudan. "There might be some differences between the Egyptian and American positions, but in the end all efforts are targeted towards one goal," which is to restore peace and stability in Sudan.

Chirac, meanwhile, praised President Mubarak's role in pushing forward the peace process, describing him as "one of the Arab world's wise leaders". The French president added that it was always useful to listen to Mubarak's views and his evaluation of the situation in the region.

Chirac also had an intensive week of discussions related to the Middle East peace process, meeting Arafat, Barak and Bashar Al-Assad, son of Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad. This was the first visit by Bashar to a leading Western country and appeared to confirm reports that he was being groomed to succeed his father.

On Saturday Mubarak met with French Prime Minister Jospin. Their talks focused on bilateral relations. Relations between Egypt and France were "on a very good track", said Mubarak. Indeed, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine is due in Cairo today as part of a regional tour which reflects Paris' wish to pursue a more active role in the region.

 

The Middle East process topped President Mubarak's agenda in France during meetings with French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat

On Saturday Mubarak also received former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Ghali, now chairman of the Francophone Organisation. Ghali briefed Mubarak on the organisation's upcoming meeting in Beirut in the year 2001.

On Monday, the same day final status talks opened in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Mubarak met Arafat in Paris. The Palestinian leader said he had informed Mubarak of the latest developments in negotiations as well as the Palestinian strategy in dealing with the thorny issues of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, water and final borders.

Asked to comment on statements made by Barak that UN Security Council resolution 242 did not apply to Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967, Arafat said: "Did he (Barak) forget the agreements he signed in Sharm El-Sheikh (two months ago), that Rabin signed in Washington and Cairo, that Peres signed in Taba, that Netanyahu signed in Wye River, that Yitzhak Shamir signed in Madrid in 1991?" All these agreements, he said, stated in their preambles that they are based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the principle of exchanging land for peace.

However, analysts believe that even if Barak openly admitted that resolutions 242 and 338 applied to the Palestinian track, that would not necessarily mean an Israeli withdrawal from all Palestinian territories Israel occupied in 1967. Successive Israeli governments claim that resolution 242 calls for withdrawal from "territories" occupied by Israel, and not from "all territories", as the Arab countries understand the resolution. Israel claims that it has the right to define the scope of its withdrawal from any occupied Arab territory in order not to endanger its security.

On Tuesday, Mubarak held a 45-minute meeting with Barak. After the meeting Egypt's ambassador to France, Ali Maher, told reporters that all consultations by Egypt with Israel aim at providing help in pushing forward the peace process. He added that Egypt's policy has always been to express its views to all parties frankly so that positive results may be achieved.

Mubarak reportedly reaffirmed in his meeting with Barak Egypt's position opposing the expansion or building of new settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Egyptian officials, including Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, have repeatedly stated that Israeli settlement activity represented a threat to the peace process.

Maher also stressed Egypt's belief that Security Council resolution 242 applied to all Arab territories occupied by Israel in 1967. This would include East Jerusalem which the Palestinians, supported by other Arabs, insist should be the capital of their future state. "Resolution 242 is the basis of the peace process since it started in Madrid and later in Oslo," Maher told reporters.

Mubarak, after returning to Cairo, is expected to deliver a speech on Saturday marking the opening of this year's parliamentary session.

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