31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002
Issue No.571
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 31 Jan. - 6 Feb. 2002 Issue No.571 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
The quest goes on
President Hosni Mubarak asked Israel yesterday to "ease" the two- month siege imposed on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat because "there is no alternative to his leadership." Mubarak made the statements after talks with Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben- Eliezer in Sharm El- Sheikh.
Egypt is playing host to several Israeli officials after a lull in contacts between the two countries over the past months. Arriving in Egypt today for talks with Mubarak's chief political adviser Osama El-Baz is Israeli Information Minister Tzipi Livni, and on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's adviser Danny Ayalon will visit for talks with officials here. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said that Israeli officials now "recognise the vital nature of the Egyptian role."
El-Baz, who will be travelling to Washington next week, said that Egypt "is willing to be in contact with any Israeli official as long as it will help improve conditions in the region and Palestinian territories."
Talks with Ben-Eliezer focused on improving conditions in the Palestinian territories and salvaging the peace process. He also asked Mubarak to convey a message to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that Israel is willing to come to the negotiating table without prior conditions. Ben-Eliezer is the most senior Israeli official to visit Egypt since Foreign Minister Shimon Peres came to Cairo in July 2001.
On the eve of his meeting with Ben-Eliezer, Mubarak spoke by telephone to Arafat for an update on conditions in the Palestinian territories. On Monday, Mubarak spoke to US President George W Bush about the steps needed to improve the situation in the territories. Washington reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state despite the current complicated circumstances.
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