The road to Washington
As tensions in Iraq simmered in the background, Cairo's diplomatic efforts focussed on the deadlocked situation between the Palestinians and Israelis. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty report
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President Hosni Mubarak listens to Saudi assessment of the situation in Iraq (left), while supporting Palestinian peace efforts
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As was expected, the Palestinians and Israelis are at loggerheads over implementing the roadmap. Leaders from each side are consequently heading to Washington to settle their disputes. But before making his first visit to the US capital as the head of the Palestinian government, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) was in Egypt for talks with officials here. In Cairo on Monday, Abbas spoke at length with President Hosni Mubarak about the roadmap, the obstacles hindering its implementation, the steps the Palestinians have taken in accordance with their obligations and his most recent discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Abbas will meet with US President George W Bush tomorrow to hear his complaints about Israeli intransigence a few days before Bush meets with Sharon on 29 July to hear his side of the story.
Abbas hoped to gain backing for the Palestinian position which will be asserted in Washington. Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher conveyed Cairo's support for Palestinian demands in a meeting with US Chargé d'Affaires in Cairo Gordon Grey on Tuesday. Maher told Grey that Cairo "expects" Washington to endorse the Palestinian position during meetings between Israeli and American officials in Washington. "There has to be a tangible American role that urges Israel to respond to the requirements necessary to achieve progress in the peace plan," Maher said after his meeting with Grey.
In a joint news conference with Abbas a day earlier, Maher said that Egypt's support for the Palestinians and their leadership is "full-fledged" and that Mubarak is dedicating much of his time to the Palestinian issue. Egypt has played a major role in recent months to promote dialogue among Palestinian factions, which finally culminated in a temporary cease-fire by the armed groups in order to give the roadmap a chance to succeed. Abbas expressed his gratitude for Egypt's efforts, saying, "We always want to listen to President Mubarak's good advice." In fact, Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman was dispatched to Gaza last week to convince Palestinian officials to accept Bush's invitation to Abbas to visit Washington, as Abbas had earlier said he would not visit the US capital until the siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat ended.
The Palestinian and Israeli premiers met Sunday to try to diffuse their differences before their visits to the US, but the meeting failed to produce anything concrete. The two sides disagree over the Israeli release of Palestinian prisoners, further Israeli troop withdrawals from Palestinian territories, as well as the dismantling of Jewish settlements. Meanwhile, Israel continues to demand the disbanding of what it calls "terrorist organisations" (referring to groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah) which have recently agreed to ceasing all attacks against Israel for a limited period. "If no progress is made, then stability will be very difficult," said Abbas in Cairo. "If the Israeli government wants peace, it must address all these issues and honour its commitments."
In a speech commemorating the 51st anniversary of the 23 July Revolution, Mubarak spoke about "a battle between friends of peace and warmongers, but we are determined to continue working towards peace, stability and prosperity". In his Tuesday address, Mubarak said Egypt was exerting its utmost efforts towards achieving progress in the Middle East peace process and removing obstacles in the way. "We insist that the roadmap be adhered to, to the letter," he stressed. "We want to protect the peace process from its enemies who want to push the region once again into a maelstrom of war and bloodshed, and prevent the Palestinian people from creating their own independent state."
Both sides are also looking to the Europeans who are represented in the Quartet which drafted the roadmap. In fact, Abbas believes that the Quartet "is the best guarantee" that the roadmap will be implemented. He told reporters that "the role of the Quartet is essential since they are the sponsors and caretakers of the roadmap." In a sudden change of position, Israeli officials are now asking Europe to play a bigger role in the Middle East, despite previous accusations that Europe was biased towards the Palestinian side. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told European Union (EU) counterparts on Monday in Brussels that he is "encouraging" Europe to "play a key role in the peace process".
Maher conveyed a similar message to Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio who was visiting Cairo on Saturday. Maher told reporters after the meeting that Cairo is "satisfied" with the European role in the peace process and wishes to see it continue. "Without Europe, we would not have had the roadmap," Maher said. On the Palestinian-Israeli peace track, Maher and Palacio stressed that despite any apparent obstacles in the way of the roadmap, the important thing is to continue implementing it. The two officials also discussed the prospects of relaunching the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. While Europe has been known to push for working in parallel on all three tracks, the US has focussed its efforts on the Palestinian-Israeli process.
On the Israeli Knesset's recent decision not to recognise the Gaza Strip and West Bank as territories under occupation, Palacio said the decision "was not the best you can expect [but] let's not lose track of the real objective". Maher, however, condemned the Knesset's decision and said "no country can make such a claim," but he agreed with his Spanish counterpart that "we have to focus on the goal, which is that we have a means for a solution -- the roadmap -- and all parties have to [stick] to it."
In Cairo on Monday, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal also described the Knesset's decision as "asinine; its timing is absurd, and is instigated by a group of fanatics". He was speaking to reporters after holding talks with Mubarak, during which he conveyed a message from Crown Prince Abdullah on several pressing regional matters.
With Mubarak, Al-Faisal also included the volatile situation in Iraq and the "dangers posed if conditions deteriorate", Al-Faisal told reporters later. For his part, Maher noted that both countries are "in absolute agreement" on all issues discussed and the steps the Arabs should take in the future. "There must be a united Arab stand regarding Iraq, the new Governing Council there and Iraq's integrity, sovereignty and Arab identity," said Al-Faisal, without elaborating on the action Arab states will take. He continued saying that Riyadh will cooperate with the Iraqi National Council since it was created in accordance with a UN resolution, and that he hopes the new council "will be able to choose a legitimate government". The Saudi official was optimistic that the governing body will be able to put Iraq on the road to stability and democracy "if [the council] is utilised to ensure Iraq's unity", Al-Faisal said. He also asserted the need for the UN to play a substantial role in Iraq so as to enable all countries to participate in putting the country back on its feet. "The UN umbrella is essential in this endeavour," he added.
In his July speech on Tuesday, Mubarak said Cairo was keeping a close watch on the situation in Iraq, "because it poses a danger for the security and stability of the region." He believes that the best way to reduce "tensions, instability and chaos in Iraq" is by "working quickly to hand over power to an elected, qualified Iraqi authority".
Meanwhile, the Bush administration is calling upon Cairo to start dealing with the new Iraqi National Council as the government representing Iraqis. After meeting with Maher on Tuesday, US Chargé d'Affaires Grey said he was speaking on behalf of US Secretary of State Colin Powell when he said, "I encouraged the Egyptian government to find ways it could engage with the newly appointed Governing Council in Iraq." Cairo had stated last week that it was encouraged by the appointment of the governing body, saying it could be "a step in the right direction" that would ultimately lead to the "election of a government with full powers by the Iraqi people". Nevertheless, it has so far refrained from recognising the temporary ruling body in Iraq.
