Israeli FM meets Mubarak today

Israeli officials said yesterday that the Israeli foreign minister Shalom Silvan will be meeting today with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Geneva to discuss efforts to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

The meeting will be at the highest level to be held between the Egyptian and Israeli sides, since the beginning of Ariel Sharon's term of office a head of the Israeli government in March 2003.

Moshe Deibi, Shaloum's advisor, said that the Israeli foreign minister will ask Mubarak for the return back of the Egyptian ambassador to Israel. A statement by the Israeli foreign ministry said that Geneva's talks indicates "a trend towards more warmth in relations between Israel and Egypt."

On the other hand, the Vatican stressed that Pope John Paul II will hold talks tomorrow with Silvan. The Vatican said that Silvan will visit the Vatican on Thursday, where he is also expected to meet with Cardinal Angelo Sudano. Silvan will visit Italy to take part in the meeting of the donor states for the Palestinian authority. Worth noting that Israel has intentionaly destroyed Palestinian civilian infrastructure, and earlier, the European Union had threatened serious economic action against Israel for destroying institutions built with European aid.