Envoy denies Egyptian team blamed Palestinians for violence

An Egyptian diplomat yesterday dismissed as untrue allegations that an Egyptian team, during talks last week in Washington, had held the Palestinian Authority responsible for more than ten months of violence.

"During its talks with the US side, the Egyptian delegation demanded that Israel stop all its illegal practices against the Palestinian people," added Nabil Fahmi, Egypt's ambassador to the US.

He was referring to the Egyptian team led by Osama el-Baz, President Hosni Mubarak's political advisor, who held four days of talks with US officials.

"The team conveyed to the US authorities Palestinian complaints of Israeli acts and underlined the importance that the prime sponsor of the peace process in the Middle East (the US) plays an effective role with the Palestinians and Israelis," he added.

Fahmi said that the Egyptian team, of which he was a member, reiterated that Israel's provocative acts against Palestinians "generate despair and feeds the vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence".

During the visit, the Egyptian team held talks with US officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell.