Egyptian contacts go far beyond Arafat, Bush

Contacts being maintained by Egypt seek to put an end to the grave deterioration in the region, said Presidential Advisor Osama El Baz.

In statements to Egyptian TV late Friday, Baz said that "contacts are not exclusive to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and US President George Bush but rather extended to a number of Arab leaders and European Union (EU) officials due to Israeli foolish behaviour."

Commenting on President Hosni Mubarak's contacts with Arafat and Bush, Baz said Israel seems as if it is launching a fresh war against the Arabs, re-occupying the territories and targeting Arafat's headquarters.

"After all this, Israel wants to hold Arafat responsible under the pretext that he is inciting terrorism," Baz said.

"Mubarak has been anxious to urge the international community to act immediately to hold Israel responsible," he added.

He hoped that measures would be taken upon these contacts. Baz said that there are consultations between the US leaders, the EU presidency, EU Security Chief Javier Solana, Russia and the UN.