Egypt contacts to secure Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian territories
Egypt-Palestine, Politics, 4/1/2002

Egypt's President Mubarak instructed Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher to hold large-scale contacts with world countries for securing Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian territories, lifting off the siege on president Arafat and explaining the risks threatening Middle East region as a result of the Israeli practices.

On the other side, Israeli troops sustained operations in Ramallah and other regions and summoned 20,000 reservists in the biggest bombing operation of its kind since the invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

In this context, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher met yesterday with Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation that arrived in Cairo yesterday from Jordan.

Addressing a world press conference with Shaath, Maher said the Security Council resolution regarding Israeli aggression on Palestinians requires taking two steps in light of the continued Israeli attacks.

The first step is implementing the resolution and providing international protection for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his premises along with the presence of international observers to register Israeli violations of all agreements and laws.

The second is a new international intervention that could compel Israel to withdraw and implement the UNSC resolutions.

Maher said: "We demand more than that the necessity that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian-controlled areas (A) in preparation for a withdrawal from the lands occupied by Israel in the 1967.

Maher explained that he held a prolonged session of talks with Shaeth during their meeting on Sunday.

The top diplomat briefed shaeth on the contacts made by Egypt on the various levels with the various Arab and international parties whether the US, the European Union or the Arab countries.

Maher held contacts with Moroccan foreign minister Mohammed Bin Eissa during his meeting with Shaath.

Maher and Shaath held consultations with the Moroccan Minister on the current situation.

On his part, Shaath said the Israelis seek to create an atmosphere in which it is easy to endanger the life of Arafat.

He demanded a large international protection force to start its mission from Ramallah into the rest of the Palestinian territories.

Israel has been denying the European Union (EU), the US, Russian and UN envoys access to Arafat, Shaath said.

He added that the Israelis have carried out extra judicial executions of nine non-armed Palestinians and arrested hundreds using them as hostages.

Israel has announced that it will not threaten the life of Arafat but some Israeli military men said in Haaaretz that he could receive a stray bullet, said Maher.

"This is what we warn the Israelis from.. It seems as if it is a plot against Arafat. We warn of it...we warn the Israelis as reality proves that their policies would not bring in security. Since they have launched this aggression, several explosions took place in different areas", he added.

Maher said he had contacts with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Lebanon, Jordan and Morocco as well as the US ambassador David Welch, pointing out that the Israeli actions should not go any further.

Maher declined to elaborate on Egyptian choices if Israel assaults Arafat saying that it is up to his country to determine.

Maher described as baseless reports purporting that President Hosni Mubarak might send a plane to take Arafat.

"There are consultations, demands to hold an extraordinary summit meeting as well as an Arab foreign ministers' meeting," said Maher.

On the US silence over Israeli aggressions, Maher said the US is well aware that Israeli actions would harm Israel, the Palestinians, peoples of the region and US interests.

He added that the whole world should act in order to halt this Israeli aggression.

Asked if the Arab initiative should be withdrawn, Maher said the Arabs seek peace and this initiative is "a challenge to Israel".

He added that the Arabs' peace is pending an Israeli pullout to pre-1967 borders in return for normal relations.

On the call to kick the Israeli ambassador out of Cairo, Maher said Egypt takes actions according to national interests and these actions would be announced when they prove useful to Egypt's interests.

Asked what Israel wants from Arafat, Maher described Israel's actions as "some sort of insanity".

Maher warned that the Israelis words that said their actions have no geographic limits are "quite dangerous".

Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher Sunday warned against the dire consequences for Israel and the entire region of the continued Israeli aggression on the Palestinians.

In an interview with Good Morning Egypt TV programme, he said that Egypt, under the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak, would persist in its efforts to restore the Palestinian legitimate rights and reveal all the facts to the eyes of the world.

Israel should be held responsible for the outcome of its hostilities against the Palestinians and the Palestinian authority, he noted.

He urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility and take a firm stand against the Israelis who refuse peace and reject the Saudi-proposed Arab peace initiative.

Maher urged for the implementation of Saturday's UN Security Council resolution that calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from the reoccupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank City of Ram Allah.

Maher said that Israel would never succeed in vanguishing the Palestinians and isolating the Palestinian leadership warning the Israelis of their continued challenge to the world community.

"I don't think that these unnatural conditions will continue, but the question is how long will they last and how many victims will fail?" he wondered.

Israel is defying all laws and values, he said adding that he did not think that the Israeli people could accept to be ruled by an outlawed government.

He noted that he was shocked by reports of Israel's execution of Palestinian police officers. It is crime against humanity, he said.

On the American attitude regarding the current development in the region, he said that it is understandable that that Americans are being influenced by many considerations. "But, we expect the Americans to take a fairer stance," he added.

Maher said that he had a stormy meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Egypt during which he asked him to deliver a warning message to his government to ask it to return to reason and stop its atrocities. But it seems that the message, had it been delivered was received by a deaf ear.

He wondered how Egypt could accept the Israeli ambassador's advice to exercise self-restraint while seeing the Israeli troops kill more than 1,200 Palestinians and use tanks, aircraft and rockets against the Palestinian civilians.

Israel claims that it is in a state of self-defence, "How could the occupier be in a state of self-defense? Maher said.

He warned that the resistance would continue so long as the occupation continues.

"Time and again have we said that we are against the attack on civilians? And time and again have the Israelis said so. But they kept' sending planes to attack cities and kill civilians.

They must understand that the rule applies to all. But it seems that they think that they are of a superior nature," he said.

Israel does not want peace and thinks of nothing but hegemony, Maher said.

He said that the Israeli government lacks any political thought and any political plan to serve the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

And it is the Israeli and Palestinian peoples who are paying the price of these crazy policies, he said.

The Minister said that the international community must be stricter in telling the Israelis to stop and back off.

"I am sure that the powers of good would eventually overcome those of evil and I am sure that the world would not accept to stand hand-folded and leave the aggression continue." he said.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt urges UN human rights commission to denounce Israeli violations   (3/30/2002)
  Egyptian contacts go far beyond Arafat, Bush   (3/30/2002)
  Egypt summons US, Russian and EU ambassadors   (3/30/2002)

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