Egyptian contacts at Security Council to reach Israeli acceptance of Egyptian-Jordanian initiative, Mitchell report

Egypt is making extensive contacts at both regional and international levels to get Israel to unconditionally accept terms of the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative and the Mitchell Report especially those calling for halting settlement activities.

Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral International Relations Ambassador Soliman Awad said Monday that in case of failing to achieve progress on the ground through contacts being made at the moment, the Arab group within the UN will once again turn to the Security Council for intervention in spite of the US rejection of such a step.

He pointed out that the Arab group, in cooperation with both the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) will initiate a parallel drive within the UN General Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador reiterated Egypt's stand on the need for serious action by the UN Security Council to re-shape Iraq's relations with the UN in a way that secures a lifting of the sanctions imposed on the Iraqi people as well as restoring cooperation between Iraq and the World Organization.

As for the sanctions imposed on Libya, he said that Egypt's viewpoint within the UN was that the Security Council, should consider a lifting of all sanctions rather than suspending them.