Maher denies failure of his mission to Israel

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher denied having said that his mission to Israel last week had failed.

"I did not expect Israelis to change their position and I did not say that the mission had failed, what I said was that there were differences in viewpoints and that it was impossible to narrow the gap between the positions, but I did not use the word failure," he said on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) emergency session in Doha.

He told Al-Mostaqbal newspaper Tuesday that he traveled to Tel Aviv to covey a clear and firm message on the requirements of peace to Israeli authorities, and this was done.

Asked on the American reaction to the results of his visit to Israel, Maher said "we briefed officials on the outcome of the visit and there was nothing anyone could do but understand our position because it rests on the desire for peace, but maybe Americans have another viewpoint concerning demands from Palestinians.

US secretary of State Colin Powell had said that the problem was in the Israeli occupation and this position is very significant, because it is tantamount to the recognition of the Palestinian state, he added.

Asked whether Egypt would follow up its moves with Israel, Maher said "politics move", one cannot work in politics and at the same time just watch.

One must constantly search for a solution and the Israeli government itself must come to the understanding that it cannot maintain the policy of aggression and siege, he said.

Peace is a must because the other option is loss for Palestinians and Israelis, he added.

He described the OIC final statement as strong that meets the aspirations of the Palestinian leadership and people.

This is an essential point, he said, adding that it also included a mechanism to implement and activate the OIC resolutions.