Mitchell urges to carry out his recommendations

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sustained meetings and contacts for limiting Israeli escalation and halting deterioration in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In this context, President Mubarak received a verbal message from Prince Abdullah, the Saudi Crown Prince, dealing with efforts for reactivating the peace process and containing the deteriorating situation in the occupied Arab territories.

Prince Saud Al Faysal, the Saudi foreign minister, conveyed the message.

The meeting was attended by Foreign minister Ahmed Maher, Saudi ambassador in Cairo Ibrahim AL Asaad Ibrahim and director of the Arab department at the Saudi Foreign Ministry Khaled Al Gandan.

Emerging from the meeting Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said the meeting comes in the context of consultations between the two countries regarding coordinating efforts for facing the serious deterioration in the occupied territories.

He said contacts are underway among Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States on ways to reactivate peace efforts and to halt deteriorating situation and carrying out Mitchell recommendations that would bring Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiations table.

Maher said views are identical between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, adding President Mubarak has restated Egypt's attitude on more than one occasion that the deteriorating situation in the occupied lands should come to an end.

He stressed the importance of the US and European role.

Answering a question on prospects for holding a summit meeting between President George Bush and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Maher said this should be decided by Arafat and Bush adding it is natural that this meeting is held on the date to be fixed by both sides.

Maher said the Mitchell recommendations could be applied as both Israeli and Palestinian sides have expressed their acceptance of the report.