Canada backs Egypt's peace efforts

Canadian Foreign Minister John Monley said that he'd discuss with President Hosni Mubarak, in their meeting the details of the Egyptian -Jordanian initiative aiming at curbing violence, and resuming negotiations.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahram, on the occasion of his Middle East tour, Manley said that Egypt exerts continuous constructive efforts to restart dialogue between various parties.

Excerpts:

-This is my first visit to the region, but I will come again soon.

-I don't have initiatives, but my tour is a chance to meet with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, and probe whether or not they have any ideas about a Canadian role in the peace process.

-I'll try to convince the Palestinians and Israelis abandon violence and restart dialogue, and exert efforts to create a climate of confidence with the purpose of building up a just peace.

-I'll start my tour by visiting Egypt and Jordan, then Gaza and Israel.

-I expect that new developments will take place in respect of the initiative.

-If the Palestinians and Israelis reached an agreement, and some Palestinians expressed their desire to have residence in Canada, we'll naturally receive them. In fact we receive refugees from various parts of the world.

-I think that Egypt can play a continuous and constructive role to resume dialogue between various parties.

We observed the Egyptian -Jordanian initiative that aims stopping of violence, and resuming negotiations.

-Egypt is capable of playing a positive role to hammer out a solution. It is the first country to conclude a peace agreement with Israel, and it enjoys the confidence of all parties.