Egypt confident US will steer matters in right direction
Egypt, Politics, 6/7/2000

With the arrival of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the region to galvanize a lagging Mideast peace, Egypt voiced its trust in US President Bill Clinton, saying matters would proceed in the right direction and as fast as possible under his leadership.

"We are certain that under the leadership of President Clinton and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, matters will proceed in the right direction and as fast as possible while making use or investing on the remaining time of the US Administration (in office)," Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with Albright after their meeting with President Hosni Mubarak.

Albright arrived earlier in the day on a one-day visit. During her stayin Cairo, She will hold separate meetings with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al Shara and Omani Minister of state for Foreign Affairs Youssef Ben Alawi Ben Abdallah.

Expressing pleasure over Albright`s presence in Cairo, Moussa said their meeting with the President was important.

"Basically, it focused on the Middle East peace process in general, the Israeli-Palestinian track in particular and the conditions on the other tracks, he added.Clinton enjoys the trust of all parties, we all need to make progress to make up for the time that has been wasted," Moussa said.

Albright arrived in Cairo from Ramallah where she held talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. After talks in this West Bank town, She said that Palestinians and Israelis would begin intensive talks in Washington next week in a bid to forge a framework for a final peace deal.

She said Arafat and Clinton are scheduled to meet at the White House next Wednesday and while in the region, she will try to narrow the Palestinian-Israeli gaps to hold a three-way summit with Clinton

After what she termed as an "excellent and important" meeting with President Mubarak, Albright said they examined different issues in the region, pertaining to Lebanon and action towards the realization of peace between Israel and the Arabs.

Because Egypt is a strategic partner in the quest of Arab-Israeli peace, she said, it was important for her to talk with President Mubarak and Moussa.

Time has proved that President Mubarak`s advice comes at the right time and that it bears fruit, She added.

The region is witnessing constant changes and is now undergoing developments, carrying both opportunities and challenges, on the road of realizing peace between Arabs and Israelis, She said.

Albright added that she will hold more talks with Moussa on Lebanon.

At their meeting, they agreed to maintain talks on the Israeli Withdrawl from south Lebanon according to UN Security Council resolution 425 because the move marks a very encouraging development, She added.

She expected UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to endorse Israel's pullout from south Lebanon, adding that it was important for all parties to fully abide by 425 and that the situation in south Lebanon remains stable.

Albright said her talks with Mubarak addressed the Palestinian-Israeli track in detail and that she will discuss it further at her meeting with Moussa especially in what pertains to all final status issues

Her talks with Barak and Arafat clearly reflected their determination to establish peace and end a century-old of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, Albright said.

Albright said Clinton asked her to invite Arafat to Washington next Wednesday, adding that Arafat has accepted the invitation and that the US will host the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to narrow the differences in viewpoint and reach an agreement.

The Palestinian-Israeli track is burdened with challenges which require taking difficult decisions, however, the opportunity for reaching an agreement exists and it must not be wasted, She said.

Clinton and herself are ready to do their utmost to keep the momentum of the peace process, including holding of a Barak-Arafat summit after the appropriate groundwork is laid down, She added.

Equally important is that the two sides understand that if it was peace that they really want, they would be required to take difficult decisions and "our role is to help," she said.

The top priority of US Foreign policy is to work on the realization of peace between Israelis and Arabs and the cooperation with partners and friends in the region, such as Egypt, She added

Asked what she expected from her meeting with Sharaa, Albright said she did not meet the Syrian Foreign Minister since the American-Syrian summit in Geneva, but they talked over the telephone several times to discuss the issue of Lebanon.

The opportunity to speak about the Syrian track did not arise, but she told Sharaa that the door remained open for the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli talks, She said.

Syria has played a constructive role with regard to Lebanon, and the US hopes Damascus continue to do so, She added.

Asked why Israel did not honor the other UN resolutions as it honored 425, Albright said that Barak made a bold step by withdrawing his forces from south Lebanon and expressed hope that all other parties concerned would honour their commitments to 425.

The US Secretary also voiced hope the Lebanese army would move to the south and that the Lebanese exercise control over their territories after the departure of all foreign troops from the south.

When she speaks about Lebanon, She takes into consideration that all parties must commit themselves to resolution 425, she added.

Albright expressed hope Palestinians and Israelis would now focus on reaching an agreement on the final status that would include borders, refugees and maybe the capital and how to deal with the issue of Jerusalem.

Asked whether domestic considerations were behind the present US peace drive, She said it was good to learn about the views of the leaders of the region and their evaluation of Clinton's Middle East role.

The issue of Jerusalem cannot be excluded from the final-status talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, said Foreign Minister Amr Moussa wednesday.

Statements, attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in this regard, are negative and are only mere negotiating tactics, said moussa in statements following the news conference, held with us State Secretary Madeleine Albright.

The basis in the issue of refugees is UN resolution 194 which stipulates either their return or their return and compensation, said moussa.

Taking the return of refugees as axiomatic, the issue should be taken up from the perspective of compensation when raised by the international community, said Moussa.

Responding to a question about the timetables of agreements,signed by the Israelis and the Palestinians, Albright said the desire to push forward the peace process has its own timetable.

She recalled her statements in Israel and Ramallah that there is a historical moment and that time for truth has come. This is the real timetable within which parties are working, she said, adding that it is important for both sides to move forward and capitalise on the available opportunity to reach a result.

On the preconditions set by Barak and his exclusion of essential elements from the negotiations, Albright said what is important is that there are certain points that should be addressed in the final-status talks and that these points are the major issues to be handled.

Whether the September 13 marks a realistic date to reach an agreement on the final status, Albright said, adding that there is still a lot of work ahead. There will be no summer vacation this year as there is work that needs to be attended to seriously, she said.

US President Bill Clinton is hoping to realise peace and Washington is seeking establishment of proper bases for a summit between the two sides, added Albright.

Moussa, on his part, expressed his belief that the date,September 13, is important and the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will accept no more delay. The issue of Jerusalem cannot be excluded from the final-status talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, said Foreign Minister Amr Moussa Wednesday.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak receives invitation to visit Britain   (6/6/2000)
  Albright in Cairo tomorrow to discuss convening a Camp David like summit   (6/6/2000)
  Al-Assad message to Mubarak conveyed by al-Shara   (6/6/2000)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search