No conflict between Egyptian-Jordanian Initiative and Mitchell report
Egypt-Regional, Politics, 6/12/2001

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said that the Egyptian-Jordanian Initiative played its role by drawing attention to the aggravating situation in the Middle East region.

The initiative handed the stick to the Mitchell commission's report which converges with it in essence, said Maher in an interview with the London-Based Al-Hayat newspaper Monday.

"The endeavour proved the ability of regional parties to table initiatives and showed that peace-oriented efforts can be expanded, that they should not be confined to the United States, whose new administration seemed indifferent in its beginning about the situation in the Middle East," said Maher.

He noted that Sharon has finally realised that military violence would not solve the problem and that is why he (Sharon) did not respond violently to the Tel Aviv bombing.

"Sharon began to go in line with the Mitchell recommendations and believe that his policies would lead to nothing," Said Maher. "Israel has to manifest good intentions ahead of entering into negotiations because it was the Israelis who did away with confidence and ignored the agreements signed with the Palestinians," he said.

Maher denied that there are certain US proposals on negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"We don't have any US paper. We have the Mitchell report, under which security committees will meet and political contacts will be conducted to enforce the agreement in full," said Maher.

He stressed that Egypt does not interfere in the Palestinians' affairs and has nothing to do with the issue of detaining Palestinian activists, adding that the Palestinian leadership takes its own decisions and Egypt sustains these decisions when it finds them in harmony with the peace process.

"We hope that the Israeli government would sense that the arbitrary practices against the people and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) only harm the Israelis and their security and economy," he said.

"The Egyptian ambassador was recalled from Israel due to Israel's arbitrary measures against the Palestinian people and will never return him before Israel refrains from these practices," he said.

He added that Egypt approved nomination of Gideon Ben-Ami as Israel's Ambassador in Cairo to be a message to Israel because it did not act violently after the Tel Aviv bombing.

On Sudan, Maher voiced Egypt's keenness on bringing about peace and tranquility in Sudan, noting he expects a visit by Sudan's Foreign Minister Mostafa Osman Ismail to continue the efforts to establish peace in the country.

On the situation in Iraq, Maher said that the Iraqi people's suffering as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait must come to an end, stressing that Iraq's neighbours' fears must be allayed by guaranteeing their territorial integrity.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak receives invitation to attend coming African Summit   (6/9/2001)
  Mubarak's interview with The People's newspaper   (6/6/2001)
  Ebeid: Egypt does not take Israeli threats seriously   (6/6/2001)

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

Search