Maher and Peres to discuss the volatile situation in the Occupied Lands
Amidst increasing world concern over minimization of cooling off prospects the United States, Britain, and other countries have condemned, for the second day running, the demolition by Israeli troops of Palestinian houses.
Washington described this step as a dangerous provocation; with state department spokesman Richard Boucher calling on Israel to bring these acts to an end.
He said these acts, which were mainly focused in Gaza, would undermine the confidence between the two sides and could only complicate the return of calm and making a headway in carrying out recommendations by Mitchell committee.
He said Secretary of State Colin Powell has frankly noted that those recommendations were still standing and that there was no other plan.
Boucher has expressed the US deep concern over the entry by Israel into regions which are subjected to Palestinian control and demolishing Palestinian houses in Jerusalem and Rafah during the past two days.
He said the US administration has made contacts at highest level with the Israeli government during the past 24 hours for halting further demolition of Palestinians houses and their properties.
Boucher said the US administration has decided to dispatch David Satterfield the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State to the region next week.
He said such a visit has no time frame and aims at improving cooling off the atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinians in order to secure carrying out Mitchell report and to maintain the ceasefire which was reached under the supervision of George Tenet, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Boucher said the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) need to exert its utmost efforts for containing violence, referring to the importance of improving cooperation between the two sides in the security field.
Al Ahram learnt that the Egyptian leadership is keeping in sustained contact with US President George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Egypt has called on the US administration to take more decisive attitude towards the need for halting Israeli occupation practices against the Palestinian people, their properties and legitimate rights.
Meantime, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will visit Egypt on Sunday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Maher dealing with the volatile situation in the Palestinian territories and efforts which are aimed at convincing Palestinian and Israeli sides of making a headway on the ground.
Maher will assert to the Israeli Foreign Minister that Israeli practices against Palestinian civilians would minimize chances of maintaining calm and deepen the confidence in preparation for returning to negotiations.
Meantime, news agencies transmitted similar criticisms and warnings by Britain and Russia of the current Israeli policy.
The British Foreign Secretary said demolition of the Palestinians houses is a provocation adding sustained demolition would complicate the flare up.
The British foreign secretary called on the Israeli government to pledge that it would not return back to demolition acts.
Russia asserted that Israel should stop demolition in the regions subjected to the PNA.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Israeli practices would bring about more bloodshed.
Iran also condemned demolition by the Israeli army of Palestinian houses.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that demolishing Palestinian houses would only aggravate the tense situation in the Palestinian occupied territories.
Annan called, in a statement issued by his spokesman on Wednesday, both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to exercise maximum restraint, stop violence and resume the peacemaking process.