Burns reaffirms US commitment to ME peace process
US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns said his talks with President Mubarak were constructive and the United States is committed to the Middle East peace process and cementing the cease-fire between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to put an end to the acts of violence.
In a meeting with a number of Egyptian journalists late Thursday, Burns referred to the Egyptian-US cooperation and efforts to breathe life into the peace process, describing Egypt's role in this respect as very important.
Burns said the statements delivered by US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell on the American efforts in the Middle East are a confirmation of the US commitment to shore up the process as a first step and then embark on implementing the Mitchell and Tenet reports approved by both the Palestinian and Israelis sides.
He pointed out that General Anthony Zinni, who will frequent the area for a long time, is exerting great efforts to convince both sides of the necessity to begin these negotiations as quickly as possible.
"The US efforts this time are practical, diligent, serious and continued and are aimed at building confidence between the two sides," he said.
He referred to his talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, underscoring honest intentions by both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to start security negotiations between them.
On the US vision of a Palestinian state, Burns noted that this vision might be materialized after a while.
"This vision, however, will not be achieved overnight due to the difficulties facing us. It needs enough time and it is necessary to build confidence between the Palestinian and Israeli sides," he said.
Burns said that after his visit to Egypt, he will start a visit to Jordan for more consultations with the officials there and then to Saudi Arabia ahead to his return to Washington to participate in talks to be held with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon there.
On the possibility of holding a meeting between Arafat and Sharon under the auspices of the United Nations (UN), Burns stressed the importance of continued contacts between the Palestinians and Israelis, adding that the US administration is in direct contact with both sides.
