1 - 7 February 2001
Issue No.519
|
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 February 2001 Issue No.519 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Probing times
As the Palestinians and Israelis wound up six days of talks in Taba on Saturday with no comprehensive accord in hand, President Hosni Mubarak met King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah during a brief visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss the future of Jerusalem and a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He also reportedly explored the possibility of Saudi Arabia -- along with Kuwait -- and Iraq reaching a better understanding following a decade-long freeze in their relations.
Mubarak with Crown Prince Abdullah on Saturday
Mubarak also probed peace prospects yesterday with Oman's Sultan Qaboos during a visit to the Gulf country, and on Monday with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who stopped over briefly in Sharm Al-Sheikh for talks with Egyptian officials. Arafat briefed Mubarak on the content and outcome of the Taba talks and reported on the deteriorating conditions in the occupied territories.
In an interview with Israeli television later, Mubarak said Arafat was the best negotiating partner the Israelis could have. "[Arafat] is the only individual who can unite the Palestinian people despite the existence of some off stream elements," said Mubarak. "If you want peace, forge it with this man and be done with it." He added that Arafat "would not dare and does not have the right" to surrender sovereignty over Jerusalem's Muslim holy sites to Israel. "It is impossible for any Arab country to accept Israeli sovereignty there," Mubarak stressed.
The president also chided Israel for being "obstinate and picking fights" on all peace tracks with the Arabs. "Despite the existence [of Israel] in the region since 1948, [it] is still incapable of understanding Arab and Palestinian psychology," he remarked.
Mubarak reiterated his warning about the "war rhetoric" being used by Israeli candidates campaigning for prime minister. He noted that Egypt does not contemplate a military confrontation with Israel but "respects and honours" its commitments under the peace accords.
Mubarak said he consults regularly with Prime Minister Ehud Barak and that both have a "mutual understanding." But he said he would be obliged to deal with Likud leader Ariel Sharon if he wins the elections on 6 February, since Egypt and Israel are bound by a peace treaty. "I have not spoken or reached an understanding with Sharon," said Mubarak, "but he is welcome to seek my help to reach stability in the region. But if he decides to contact me just for the sake of calling me, I won't waste my time."
Fanning tensions between the hawkish Israeli right and Cairo, Sharon responded by saying that "[Mubarak] has nothing to worry about. I don't intend to call." The Israeli politician also insisted that he already has "indirect contacts" with Cairo.
Mubarak said Sharon's "macho" war-mongering statements augur ill for stability in the region because they "increase tension and pave the way for terrorism, something worse than a state of war."
The president noted that Egypt's ambassador to Tel Aviv, Mohamed Bassiouni, will only return to his post when "we believe that the situation has calmed down and progress is made toward peace." Bassiouni was recalled to Cairo in November to protest against Israel's brutality against Palestinians.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page