Mubarak highly concerned with promoting relations with EU
Egypt-European Union, Politics, 11/7/2001

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said President Hosni Mubarak is highly concerned with promoting relations with the European Union in general and Euro-Mediterranean countries in particular.

In statements to reporters in Brussels Tuesday, Maher said president Mubarak's participation in the Formentor forum is the best proof of that, pointing out that the president expresses Egypt's views regarding Arab-European cooperation and focused or the importance of holding dialogue among various cultures and responding to any unfair lies about Islam and Arabism.

"The EU endeavors to activate its role" he said, pointing out that the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference due to start Tuesday, falls within the framework of exert efforts to crystalize such stance.

Asked about the issue o terrorism on the agenda of the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue, Maher said the issue is on the agenda of all international meetings referring to the Arab follow-up committee, the Mediterranean forum in Aghadir and the UN Forums.

However, such issue will not overshadow the middle east issue which is important at all times, he emphasized.

Concerning the current anti-terrorism campaign, Maher said Egypt has suffered a lot from terrorism that is considered an international phenomenon.

The international community should exert utmost efforts to fight it.

Egypt's stance is clear regarding the need not to confine terrorism to a certain country because terrorism has no home, he added.

On the other hand, in press statements late Tuesday Maher excluded regional cooperator with Israel with the absence of peace in the Middle East, holding Israel responsible for a farce proportion of world sufferings.

Maher added Israel has not complied with UN resolutions and signed agreements.

He stressed that there can be no cooperation unless Israel adheres to international legitimacy resolutions.

"Arab countries called on the European Union (EU) to act actively and activate its role," said Maher.

He added that talks during the conference and on its sidelines bring optimism over future of euro-med cooperation ties.

On Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres' stance, Maher said that Peres had only levelled accusations but all ministers refuted his ungrounded claims.

On the other hand, Maher pointed out in an interview with Good Morning Egypt television programme from Brussels, there is no tension in the Egyptian-US relations and dialogue between the two countries is sustained.

Maher said dialogue between the two countries could be termed as a dialogue between friends.

"The dialogue means that we often meet and differ at times," he said.

"The US administrating has even said that all critical articles published recently do not mirror the official US stance, " he said.

"US contacts with the Egyptian officials over the few past days expressed the US appreciation for president Mubarak and the Egyptian government stance supportive of efforts exerted to uproot terrorism," he said.

On European involvement in the Middle East, Maher said that if one looked at the past few months, not one single day has passed without one European official visiting the region.

Europe is interested in contributing to the settlement of the complex situation in the region especially in Palestine as a result of Israeli policies and practices, he added.

There have been several attempts to contribute to a settlement, whether through initiatives or by dispatching envoys "We welcome all this and we have always called for an active and effective European role and President Hosni Mubarak is the one who took the initiative to invite the EU representative to the Sharm El sheikh summit," he said.

Regarding Egyptian efforts to hold a meeting between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Maher said that meetings between the two are only natural because they are the parties concerned.

Palestinian-Israeli contacts are maintained, the latest being the Arafat meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Palma de Malorca a few days ago, he added.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak interested in furthering relations with EU   (11/6/2001)
  Mubarak receives Solana   (10/25/2001)
  Mubarak discusses with Solana Middle East scene   (10/20/2001)

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