Mubarak sends message to Bush

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent an urgent message to US President George W. Bush, in which he underscored the importance that the United States should act swiftly to ease the situation between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher, meanwhile, denied US press allegations that Egypt was hesitant in its support for the United States in the war against terror.

"These allegations are groundless because Egypt was the first to confront terrorism, noting Egypt has always been calling to have the terrorists granted asylum in European countries extradited," he said.

Maher will have talks in Washington next week with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and some Congressmen on the importance of the US role to push ahead the political solution and translation of the US vision on establishment of a Palestinian State into concrete reality.

Amidst Palestinian discontent, US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said that President Bush is not going to meet with Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meetings soon.

Rice alleged that Arafat did not make enough efforts to combat what she called "terrorism".