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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Solid support
PALESTINIAN President Yasser Arafat was in Egypt yesterday for the third consecutive Wednesday since the Camp David talks failed to achieve a breakthrough towards a comprehensive Palestinian-Israeli settlement, reports Nevine Khalil. He met with President Hosni Mubarak for nearly 90 minutes to discuss the future of Jerusalem.
Mubarak reassured Arafat that he has Egypt's full support as he prepares to walk through the minefield of final status talks, dealing with the most controversial issues on the table, such as the future of the holy city and the return of Palestinian refugees.
"Egyptian and Arab support [for Arafat] is solid and unlimited," said Foreign Minister Amr Moussa after the meeting. "We always support [him], it is absolute, and we don't need to meet [in a summit] to show this support."
During the meeting, according to Moussa, Arafat said he was confident of Arab support for his position, but he did not discuss the possibility of postponing the declaration of Palestinian statehood beyond 13 September.
"Talks focused on Jerusalem, what should be done on the part of the Arabs and Muslims to protect Arab and Palestinian rights there," said Moussa, adding that the Palestinian side "cannot be more flexible than this, because they are the ones whose land is occupied."
Cairo is maintaining contacts with all parties in the peace process, most recently through a telephone conversation between Moussa and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday. "Our common outlook is that the peace process should continue on the principles that will bring about an equitable peace which does not encroach on Arab sovereignty over East Jerusalem," said Moussa. "We will continue consultations in the next few weeks in order to put the process back on track."
Despite "brainstorming continuously on the issue of Jerusalem," Cairo does not have specific proposals for determining the future of Jerusalem, noted Moussa. However, he did not rule out the possibility of a summit-level meeting between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, although "a genuine political will" is a prerequisite for making peace.
