Mubarak, Blair discuss in Sharm esh Sheikh the Iraqi crisis, the peace process

The British prime minister Tony Blair held unofficial talks with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in Sharm Esh Sheikh resort which overlooks the Red Sea that dealt with the Iraqi crisis and the Middle East peace process.

The spokesman for the British Cabinet said yesterday that Blair who is spending the Christmas vacation in Egypt met on Wednesday evening in Sharm Esh Sheikh with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at a special dinner banquet.

However, in a message on the occasion of the New Year, which was overwhelmed by the pessimism of the British people, Blair warned against critical times that might occur in 2003 with the growing danger of war and the attacks which he described as terrorists; the economic disturbances and obstruction of the Middle East peace process.

Blair also called for convening a conference concerning Palestinian reforms that can bring in officials for the Palestinian authority, and representatives of the Quartet group which includes the European Union, the UN, Russia and the USA in addition to other countries in the region.

Blair proposed that the conference which will be hosted by London to be held in the mid of the current month, January.