Israel's withdrawal from occupied areas not enough to end crisis

Egypt's ambassador to the United States Nabil Fahmi underlined the importance of Israel's full withdrawal from the areas and towns it reoccupied in the West Bank more than three weeks ago.

Fahmi, meanwhile, pointed out that the exit of Israeli forces from most, not all, of the Palestinian territories is not enough to push matters forward and have have a breakthrough in the current crisis.

In statements to the Night Line programme in the Ab News TV station Tuesday, Fahmi said, "It is important to have a peace process so that we might get out of the current logjam and proceed ahead".

The Egyptian ambassador lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's announcement on Israel's intention to go ahead with building of Jewish settlements for years to come.

He considered the announcement as a "recipe" for a catastrophe and continuity of friction, tension and violence between the Palestinian and Israeli parties, adding it does not represent a plan to realise an aspired peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

The reasons for this problem is that the Sharon government has failed to respond to the American demands, he said, noting Egypt wishes to activate the American role in order to maintain the Palestinian Israeli track launched at Madrid peace conference and the Oslo agreements.