Mubarak rules out the eruption of war in the ME
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 12/1/2000

President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has stressed his commitment to peace despite the deterioration of conditions in the occupied lands. He ruled out the possibility of war between Egypt and Israel.

Meantime, the Egyptian ambassador in Tel Aviv, Muhammad Basyouni who was summoned to Cairo on November 21 said that his country had put three conditions for returning back to Tel Avi.

vIn a statement to the Egyptian official radio issued by the Egyptian dailies on Wednesday Mubarak added " we do not have another solution, peace is the aim and we have all to work" in order to reach it, stressing that he does not " think of war." He continued that " It is a complex process and a difficult operation for the two sides but we can not give it up." On November 21 Cairo called back its ambassador in israel after the Hebrew state violently bombarded Palestinian targets in Gaza strip. The Egyptian authorities said that this decision is a sort of " message " to israel.

Mubarak said that those who say they want war do not " understand what is war," noting that Egypt has lost " 200,000 citizens including 12,000 soldiers." He also stressed that " He does not think of war because nobody will fight unless there is a need for that war." He stressed that the Egyptian economy" has suffered a long period of time as a result of war and that rebuilding the country and improving life conditions have started now.

Meantime, Basyouni announced that Cairo has laid three conditions for his return back to Tel Aviv. In a statement to the Egyptian daily al-Ahram Basyouni said that the first condition is " the return back of calm, stop halting to violence ( by Israel) against the Palestinian people."

The Egyptian ambassador added that the two other conditions are " returning back to the table of negotiations and continuing the peace process on the ground of international resolutions." Mubarak had informed the US defense secretary William Cohen during his visit to Cairo last week that that israel has to implement these conditions in order to ensure the return back of the Egyptian ambassador, including halting violence in the occupied territories.

The Egyptian diplomat also added in a statement to the Egyptian magazine al-Mousawar issued on Thursday that his calling back had provoked " a diplomatic shock to israel," He added that " the uprising revealed that without reaching a just solution to Jerusalem and full Palestinian sovereignty on al-Aqsa Mosque an agreement will not be reached." Basyouni said that the uprising also revealed the demands of the Palestinians of 1948 and the fact that they have national objectives comply with the Palestinians position On the other hand Mousa considered in statements he made in Abu Dhabi where he accompanied President Mubarak that the future of the peace process in the Middle East is still " vague." He said " So far no proposal is made on the ground of which a peace agreement can be held between the Palestinians and the Israelis, adding that Egypt does not feel satisfaction over the current condition, the Arab nation passes ."

Previous Stories:
  Israeli envoy in a secret mission in Cairo   (11/30/2000)
  Egypt discovers two spies for the Mossad   (11/29/2000)
  Mubarak confers with Yatoum after Egypt withdraw ambassador from Israel   (11/27/2000)

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