Moussa to discuss with Powell ME issues

Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said he will meet soon with incoming US Secretary of State Colin Powell to get acquainted with him and to hold bilateral consultations. But, Moussa said no date has been yet set.

Answering questions by reporters on Egypt's contacts with the new US Administration, Moussa said that contacts will be made soon to review regional and international issues of mutual interest. "The peace process, not just the Palestinian track, as well as the issues of Iraq and armament in the Middle East will be all discussed with the incoming US administration, and this is so natural and necessary," said Moussa.

"It was not floated that the incoming US administration would give a lower priority for the peace process," he noted.

"What is really important is to redress the imbalance of the peace process and reach a just and balanced peace between the Palestinians and Israelis," he added.

The Foreign Minister described such talk that the new US agenda will not feature the Middle East peace high on its agenda as illogical and not political, bearing in mind the rules of good management of foreign policy and diplomacy.

He added that it was premature to confirm that the new US administration had arranged its priorities or defined where the peace process would begin.

On performance of the Clinton administration over the Middle East peace process, Moussa said that President Clinton exerted great efforts and gave the peace process obvious priority although he did not succeed in reaching a final solution.

He voiced regret that the past months saw a great imbalance in the peace process, which caused a deterioration in the region.

"But the outgoing administration realized in the last weeks that the security hazards in the region should be dealt with through politics and that was why the United States floated some proposals that were met with Palestinian reservation," Moussa expounded.

"Despite the amendments needed in the US proposals, the ideas showed part of the efforts made by President Clinton," he said.

On how the Clinton administration treated the Iraqi issue, Moussa termed the US approach as traditional and mirrors the policies towards Iraq.

But he said there is a great development in the Iraqi issue as the world public opinion is now tilting in favor of stopping sanctions against Iraq.

"However, the US administration did not deal with such development as it should be," Moussa deplored.

On the meeting between Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in Cairo Wednesday, the Foreign Minister said that Egypt did not extend invitations to anybody for holding such a meeting nor did it participate in it but Egypt just received Ben-Ami according to his request.

On the recent threats by Israeli officials on preparation to wage a regional war, Moussa revealed that Egypt had notified the Israeli side that these threats, especially those of Israel Chief of Staff Shaui Mofaz, were unacceptable.

"The language of war Israel was harping on, no longer shock anybody in the region," Moussa stressed.

Asked on the Turkish message to the Arab world through the Reliant Mermaid maneuvers that involves Turkey, Israel and the United States, Moussa said that if there was a message in the first place, he believed it was not positive.

Moussa said any setback in the peace process will have its dangerous implications, adding however that we should work for maintaining the peace process in the context of international legitimacy.