Mubarak's delegate to Arafat

The Israeli radio said on Friday that Israeli sources in Tel Aviv said that President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt will delegate the chairman of the Egyptian general intelligence Omar Suleiman by the beginning of next week to the chairman of the Palestinians Authority Yasser Arafat.

The sources added that the Egyptian official will ask Arafat to start arresting and punishing the activists of Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad and to collect all unlicensed weapons.

The sources said that Arafat's rejection to take measures recommended in Tenet Report will have grave consequences on the Egyptian- Palestinian relations.

The sources added that just delegating the Egyptian official indicates a change in the Palestinian position towards carrying out a more active role in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and that according to that change, the advisor for the Egyptian President Osama al-Baz is expected to arrive in Israel by the beginning of next week in order to hold talks with officials at the divan of the Israeli prime minister.

The sources said that the Egyptian President might shortly extend an invitation to Sharon to visit Egypt after they will arrange for that in a telephone call.