Mubarak and US envoy discuss joint efforts for halting violence and resuming negotiations
Egypt-USA, Politics, 2/7/2002

Egyptian President Mubarak received at the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis William Burns the Assistant Secretary of State and special envoy of the Middle East peace process with whom he discussed the latest renewable in the occupied Palestinian territories, efforts exerted by Egypt and the United States for halting violence between Israel and Palestinians and resuming negotiations.

Following the meeting, Burns said the US is attaching great importance of partnership with Egypt.

Burns said the two sides (Egypt and the US) are committed to doing their best to halt violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians,, return to the negotiation table and bring into reality US State Secretary Colin Powell's concept on a two neighboring states.

"Powell asked me to go to Egypt and meet with President Mubarak to see how we can move together in the next stage to forge a practical mechanism to solve this issue," said Burns.

Burns lauded the efforts being exerted by Mubarak with the Palestinians as well as the Israelis in order to bring them back to the negotiating table.

"The US will carry on with close cooperation with Egypt to attain this goal," he said.

He said Tenet's peace plan and Mitchell's recommendations include many ideas, recalling that Washington conducted many contacts last week in addition to the meeting scheduled between US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the US on Thursday.

On the Israeli attempts to isolate President Yasser Arafat, Burns said the US stance is quite clear considering Arafat the president elected by Palestinians.

Washington will continue work with the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli side in order to return to the negotiating table, he added. This requires hard decisions and real steps on the side of the PA, he noted.

"The US also believes that Israel has some responsibilities to undertake and the US will work with Egypt to help the two sides fulfill them," said Burns.

On his part, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said the meeting was normal especially in light of the intensive meetings being held between Cairo and Washington over the past period.

"The contacts are aimed to forge a proper way of action and coordinate stances to stop the Israeli violence and bring the two sides back to the negotiating table on the bases of the signed terms of reference," said Maher.

"What is required is not new plans or initiatives but rather embarking on implementing the signed agreements that dictate abidance by the two sides' obligations," said Maher.

This what President Mubarak discussed with Burns, said Maher, adding that he will meet with Burns later in the day.

He pointed out that the task assigned to the envoy sent by President Mubarak to Arafat was to discuss what could be done in the future to push things in the right direction.

"Egypt is in constant contact with Arafat, the US administration and the Israeli side," he said.

Hence it was important to learn of Arafat stance in order to evaluate the situation and consider the way to get out of this standoff, he added.

He said Egypt has no plans to send a delegation to Washington after Sharon to visit.

"The French paper proposed recently is not tantamount to an initiative, "he said.

It was just a package of ideas France floated to arouse thinking and activate the situation, said Maher, noting that Egypt welcomed it.

"Germany has also submitted a paper with some ideas commenting on the French one, "he said.

"The French paper focuses mainly on emphasizing the legitimacy of the Palestinian leadership that was target for some attempts to disband it, "said Maher.

The whole world believes that the Palestinian leadership is legitimate and that attempts to replace it will be useless and will rather further aggravate the situation, said the Egyptian top diplomat.

"The Palestinian people are holding tight to their leadership which led the struggle for peace," said Maher, stressing that the same leaders will remain in the lead.

The Israelis might now have wakened up of their illusions and recognized that this will only be a waste of time.

He ruled out any agreement between Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei and Israeli foreign Minister Shimon Peres on handing over 42 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians and postponing some issues of negotiations for later.

Generally speaking, there are many papers handled but the important thing is the content.

What is demanded is a final settlement that secures withdrawal from all the Palestinian lands occupied in June 1967 and the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, he added.

Previous Stories:
  Rumsfeld recommends to minimize the American forces in Sinai   (1/31/2002)
  Washington warns Egypt on armed ship   (1/31/2002)
  Mubarak and Bush discuss in a telephone conversation ways of containing volatile situation   (1/29/2002)

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