Egypt held summit to put immediate end to worsening situation

Egypt could not ignore world appeals to hold Sharm E1 Sheikh meeting and stand hand-folded waiting for the Arab summit to convene while the situation worsened on Palestinian lands, Minister of Information Safwat A1 Sherif said.

"This summit was convened through President Mubarak's initiative after appeals from the international community and from the US, because Egypt cannot and President Mubarak cannot, in the face of these appeals stand and wait for the Arab summit until Saturday.

Action had to be taken to salvage the situation that was deteriorating by the minute," Sherif told the Egyptian television over the telephone from the Red Sea resort where he accompanies the president.

On the preconditions that were set prior to the convening of the Sharm E1 Sheikh summit and then its convening before the terms were met, he said: "Yes, because the two sides agreed to this." When the President opened the summit he made it very clear in his address, that these terms were incorporated into the summit's agenda, he added.

The holding of the Sharm E1 Sheikh emergency summit on Egypt's soil represents a key turning point and a firm stance towards putting an end to the bloodshed and constant deterioration on occupied Palestinian lands, he said.

Sherif said the preconditions are those which President Mubarak is after and they were spelled out clearly in front of the whole world in his speech to the inaugural session of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, US President Bill Clinton was also clear in his address.

The four points demanded and included in President Mubarak's speech are: bringing violence to a halt, stopping deterioration, withdrawing the military machine, ending the closure and opening access to neighboring countries, Sherif said.

Sherif said that Monday was also a hard day as talks passed through their worst possible moments.

President Mubarak's and Clinton's efforts were assiduous because there was a clear determination to meet the demands of both sides, he said, adding that the Palestinian will is free and cannot come under pressure.

Sherif also said that the goal of the summit was realizing the balanced and fair interests of the Palestinians because they are the party that is attacked and killed.

All parties, by then, realized their responsibility at the summit, before the international community, and before themselves, he said.

Sherif said President Clinton exerted much efforts and shouldered his responsibility as a President of a superpower to keep peace and stability of the world.

Egypt, as a state, bears the responsibility of security and stability in the region and the vision of President Mubarak, explicit in his speech, was an Arab vision that reflected the aspirations of the Arab street to halt the bloodbath, bring back the Palestinian rights, and form a fact-finding committee at the international level, Sherif expounded.

President Mubarak will brief the pan-Arab summit and Foreign Minister Amr Moussa will keep the Arab Foreign Ministers posted on the outcome of the Sharm E1 Sheikh summit, Sherif said.