Mubarak, Arafat probe current situation in Palestinian territories
Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 12/7/2000

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's brief visit to Egypt comes within the framework of the ongoing coordination between Palestine and Egypt under President Hosni Mubarak on the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In statements following Mubarak-Arafat meeting, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said talks dwelt on current situation in Palestine and the continued clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli forces.

Moussa added that the meeting dealt with international contacts as regards putting an end to what is going on in Palestine via pulling out Israeli forces in accordance with Sharm el-sheikh understandings.

Mubarak and Arafat discussed activating the peace process, said Moussa.

"Mubarak-Arafat talks elaborated on how to move towards ending the Israeli arbitrary measures against the defenseless Palestinians and how to revive the peace process in a way that would guarantee no recurrence of these perpetrations", Moussa said.

The revival of the peace process is contingent on ending the Israeli occupation, halting its excessive use of force and returning the forces to their positions before September 28, he added.

The situation cannot go on like that for ever, he said, adding that every day there are more attacks against Palestinians and confrontations with settlers.

"These aggressions together with the blockade have to be immediately ended", Moussa said, stressing that the measures Israel has adopted so far to return situation back to normal are not sufficient.

Asked about reports on secret Palestinian-Israeli meetings, Moussa denied knowledge of these meetings. "There are still contacts between the two sides", he added.

He ruled out reports alleging that Arafat received an Israeli proposal and that he came to Egypt to consult with Mubarak on this issue.

"There are no proposals except that published in papers about proposed slight withdrawal from small areas in Palestine", he said, stressing that these proposals are not serious.

Moussa said that during a meeting with President Mubarak, attended by the prime minister, the presidential office chief and the presidential political adviser, he submitted a detailed report on the regional and international situation and the latest developments in the regional peace process and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Moussa said the question of sending back the Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv was not a subject of rethink at present.

"Israe's wager on a passive Arab stance is a losing one", Moussa said, citing the positive steps taken since the latest Arab summit beginning with halting normalisation, sustaining Arab coordination and others as proof of Israel`s miscalculation over the past decade.

On Israeli threats against Syria and Lebanon, Moussa made it clear that such an Israeli stance harmed the spirit of the peace process, given the fact that the question involved a foreign occupation of Arab territory.

The sooner Israel steps up efforts to reach a just and balanced solution, the lesser become exchanged threats.

As for Israeli threats "they no longer pose a danger", he added.

Asked if it was still possible to reach agreement while US President Bill Clinton was spending his last days at the White House, Moussa regretted that Clinton's remaining time in office would not make that feasible.

"But this does not mean that we could not move matters", he said,adding, on the contrary we still could do something for a just,balanced and respectable peace process: not a tattered and biased one.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt continues efforts to stop violence against Palestinians   (12/2/2000)
  No initiative on peace agreement between Palestinians, Israelis   (11/30/2000)
  Egypt's peace role central, instrumental   (11/30/2000)

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