Mubarak in Doha after concluding visit to Riyadh
Egypt, Politics, 12/20/1999

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Doha on Sunday from Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit in the course of his tour of the region, which will last for two days. The tour will also cover Bahrain.

In Qatar, the Egyptian president held talks with its ruler, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani, that dealt with the current Arab conditions, the Middle East peace process and developing bilateral relations.

Mubarak had concluded a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, during which he held talks with King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah.

These talks with the Saudi officials dealt with bilateral relations between the two states and means of consolidating them, as well as conditions in the Arab, Islamic and international arenas, especially the Middle East peace process and resuming talks on the Syrian track from the point at which they broke off.

The two states stressed at the conclusion of their bilateral talks the importance of achieving a just and comprehensive peace which guarantees all Arab rights.

In a statement he made on Sunday, Egyptian Information Minister Safwat al-Sharif said that talks of the Egyptian-Saudi summit dealt with bilateral relations and the latest developments concerning the Middle East peace process, especially on the Syrian track.

He stated that the peace march, especially on the Syrian track, has occupied an important phase of the meetings which were held in Washington between Syrian Foreign Minister and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak under the auspices of the US President Bill Clinton.

Al-Sharif added that Saudi- Egyptian talks also dealt with current conditions in Sudan in light of the recent decisions taken by the legal authority and the Palestinian track.

Asked whether the talks will deal with developments in Sudan Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Saturday said: "Sure the issue will be tabled on the agenda of President Mubarak's talks." "The fact that Syrian-Israeli talks will be resumed early in January indicates that the talks are serious," Moussa said in response to a request to give his evaluation of the Syrian- Israeli talks which were held Wednesday through Thursday. "The upkeep of the these talks is very important," he said, adding that the very sustaining of the talks reflects a positive attitude.

On the Palestinian track he said that Egypt will continue to promote the Palestinian issue. He referred to the recent meeting between Mubarak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and said these contacts come within the framework of continued consultations to reach understanding regarding future steps.

On Cairo's views regarding the new UNSC Resolution regarding Iraq, Moussa said that any resolution should be taken seriously. "Implementation of the UNSC Resolutions is something very important," he said. He noted that this is the first resolution to be issued at this level but without consensus indicating that there are discrepant attitudes regarding Iraq.

Asked whether the mission by the new inspectors will be different from that of the UNSCOM, Moussa replied the task is supposed to be different. "We have to admit the UNSCOM has undertaken a great and sustainable task and we can not also ignore that a headway in inspection and in implementation of UN Resolutions have been made. If the new UN monitoring, verification and inspection commission discharges its duty it will not start from square one or from scratch," he said.

Concluding his statements Moussa underlined that cooperation in good faith should find its way between Iraq and the Security Council.

Moreover, Moussa dismissed reports that Damascus has reservations on the Egyptian role in the ME peace. "The Egyptian role serves peace on the Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese tracks. Arab negotiators in talks with Israel do not compete with each other," Moussa told Saudi daily Okaz in an interview published Saturday. "No competition among the negotiating tracks," said Moussa when asked if reviving the Syrian track has come at the expense of the Egyptian-backed Palestinian track. "we, as Arabs, have to reject the notions of competition and avoid talking about them," he said.

The Egyptian top diplomat was asked on Israel's accusations that Egypt is to blame for hampering the middle east peace process. "Is the peace process faltering new?" Moussa asked, attributing the accusations to Israeli media. "We will not sell Palestine and refuse to convince the Palestinians of accepting proposals which are unacceptable," he said .

Moussa said the Israeli accusations leave no fears on the side of Egypt, maintaining that Egypt is keen to play an honest role regardless of the Israeli criticisms. "We are supportive of Arab-Israeli peace and do not work for an Israeli peace. Egypt's role is not to pile pressures on the Arab negotiators," said Moussa.

"Why not," said Moussa when asked if the possibility of holding an Arab summit will be discussed during Mubarak's Gulf tour. He said Egypt is keen on coordinating with Saudi Arabia over the issues of interest to Arabs and Muslims, particularly at the current critical stage in the region.
    Moussa was asked on the latest developments in Sudan where President Omar al Bashir dissolved the parliament and announced a state of emergency last week. He said Egypt is supportive of Bashir and works for ensuring stability and ending inter-Sudan disputes.

Moussa dismissed accusations of the supporters of Hassan al Turabi, speaker of the Sudanese dissolved parliament, that Egypt is fueling the crisis in Sudan. He said Egypt backs the latest measures of the Sudanese President but does not interfere in Sudan's internal affairs.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak starts Arab gulf tour   (12/18/1999)
  Report: Saudi-Egyptian summit to support the Syrian position   (12/15/1999)
  Mubarak calls for a peace that restores the whole of the Golan   (12/10/1999)

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