Israel's defense minister to present peace plan during talks with Mubarak
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 7/15/2002

Israel's Defense Minister Benyamin Ben Eliezer will brief Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during their talks today in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria on his plan to revive the long-stalled peace process in the region, said official sources in Israel's Defense Ministry.

Ben-Eliezer will also listen to Mubarak's viewpoint and Egyptian stances towards a range of current issues. These stances are fully appreciated due to Egypt's historic role in the drive for peace in the region, Israel's Deputy Defense Minister said.

The visiting minister is looking forward to Egypt's role in supporting the Middle East peacemaking efforts, especially that Egypt is the first Arab state to sign a peace agreement with Israel, he added.

He underlined that Ben-Eleizer's talks with Mubarak will take up steps taken so far on the political track in view of the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.

The visit, which comes at Mubarak's invitation, is part of bilateral consultations aimed at ending the current vicious cycle of violence, he said.

Speaking about possibility of hammering out a solution to the Middle East crisis, the Israeli official said that Israel has ruled out such a possibility with the current Palestinian leadership in charge.

"We want more reforms to be done in the Palestinian Authority. We want a leadership that has a genuine desire for achieving peace with Israel," he added.

On the ongoing military operation in the West Bank, the Israeli deputy defense minister made it clear that it aimed at destroying what he called the infrastructure of terrorism.

The army will get out of the reoccupied areas as soon as the mission is accomplished, he said without elaborating on a deadline for the operation.

Previous Stories:
  No Israeli water projects in Nile Basin   (7/13/2002)
  BAZ, Sneh discuss developments in occupied territories   (7/13/2002)
  Maher denies Israeli mass media reports   (7/13/2002)

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

Search