Egypt: Jerusalem massacre, hinders peace

Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa Sunday said that the Jerusalem massacre, that took place on Thursday and Friday, would have a major impact on an already fragile Middle East peace process.

In press statements he gave on Sunday, Moussa said that the message he received yesterday from his Israeli counterpart Shlomo Ben Ami was related to the events that took place in Jerusalem and the Israeli viewpoints on that score.

Answering a query on the probability of resuming the peace talks after the recent contacts by President Hosni Mubarak and Moussa, the foreign minister said that the negative inputs into the peace process were increasing immensely.

On the Israeli interpretation of such deplorable events, Moussa said the Israelis see that the Arab side initiated the provocations as they always claim, although right-wing Likud party leader Ariel Sharon's visit to the al-Aqsa al-Sharif has sparked off and ignited the whole matter.

On whether Egypt was ready to send medical assistance Palestinian civilians still under Israeli fire, Moussa said that Egypt was willing to meet any Palestinian demands in this respect.

Asked whether the peace process was out of focus since containing the current tension has become a priority now, Moussa said the two issues remained on top of Egypt's priorities.

On Ben-Ami's statements that Muslims would have to get a permit to pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Foreign Minister said that such measures were taken as part of the Israeli occupation of al-Haram al- Sharif (Temple Mount) and East Jerusalem. As such all these measures are null and void, he added.