Maher warns against Sharon's attempts to the brink of danger

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher warned that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is trying to drag the Arab states into war, adding that this attempt is very dangerous.

In an interview with Abu Dhabi Satellite Channel telecast Monday morning, Maher said that Sharon drives things to very bad and very dangerous conditions.

He said that Egypt wants and sticks to peace but will retaliate any attack, referring to President Hosni Mubarak's statement that anyone who imagines that what happened in 1967 could happen again is mistaken.

He said that the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative is standing and is based on paving the way for resuming negotiations and putting an end to the Israeli acts of aggression.

He added that there is an international consenus on backing the Egyptian-Jordanian overture pointing out that the Arab follow-up committee blamed Israel for rejecting the initiative.

He said that Israel is the sole party that actually rejected this initiative by raising reservations that might abort it.

"The follow-up committee statement supports this initiative and now the Mitchell report includes elements that agree with the initiative's objectives," he said.

"The overture has not failed but is still on the table and it is part of the efforts exerted at present to put an end to the Israeli acts of aggression on the Palestinian people and to rebuild confidence of the parties concerned," he added.