Moussa: Egypt wants end of Iraq sanctions, Mid East efforts disccused
Regional-Egypt, Politics, 9/16/2000

In an exclusive interview to London-based Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper of Friday, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said the ideas suggested for setting up an international panel formed by the UN Security Council and Islamic states to entrust each of Israel and the Palestinian side to have control over the holy sites of concern to each.

Moussa said that there are some ideas, that do not level to inked proposals, were raised on the status of the holy city of Jerusalem.

The top diplomat said Egypt will not participate in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Egypt helps, supports, and follows up the situation from outside, but does not participate because negotiations are exclusive to the two Palestinian and Israeli sides, he reiterated.

On having Islamic sovereignty over Jerusalem, he said that Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat did not ask for that.

Egypt will not be part of the suggested panel,and this was not requested. He pointed out and added that the idea is just one of several ideas raised on the table of negotiations and we are still far from having something concrete.

What is important is to secure Palestinian sovereignty over the lands occupied in 1967, he said.

On the stalemate on the Syrian track, Moussa said that everybody realizes the game of playing on several tracks.

To move the Syrian-Israeli track, the ideas suggested to the Syrians in Geneva in March should be modified, he said. Syrian President Bashar Assad will not accept what his father, late Syrian President Hafez Assad, turned down.

On the situation in Iraq, Moussa said that sanctions have to come to an end. He criticized United Nations resolution 1284 because it would be hard to implement under its present wording, but he called for respecting it.

Nothing bans the UN chief and the UNSC from considering moving to a next stage of joint action with Iraq to implement the resolution and get out of such dark tunnel, he elaborated.

The solution is to go from discussing sanctions' suspension to how to suspend them, he suggested.

As regards Egyptian-Israeli relations, Moussa said that they are proceeding in a positive manner.

He believed that good faith is existing on the part of Cairo and Tel-Aviv and this is a good situation.

Relations will be complete, hopefully, in the near future, he said.

On Egypt's stand on Sudan's bid to join the UNSC, he said Egypt will support Sudan's membership and will not nominate for the seat.

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