Mubarak, Mofaz agreement in implementing Sharm al-Sheikh understandings

Talks between the Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm al-Sheikh resort which dealt with implementing the summit's understanding held in the same resort on February 8th and aimed at restoring back the Israeli- Palestinian peace process.

The spokesman for the Egyptian presidency Suleiman Awad said in a press conference that the talks concentrated in implementing Sharm al-Sheihk summit understanding, especially the acceleration of transferring Israeli security authorities in the cities of the West Bank to the Palestinians and releasing the Palestinian prisoners.

Awad said he listened to the Israeli view points in these issues, noting that the Egyptian president made a telephone call with the chairman of the Palestinian authority Mahmoud Abbas and learned from him about the Palestinian view point in the talks which have not so far led to handing over the city of Areiha to the Palestinians.

The spokesman for Mubarak said that the talks dealt with deployment of the Egyptian forces on the border with Gaza, but he explained that the details of this operation is left for experts from the two sides. He stressed the Egyptian position on the need of the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza including Salah Eddin border crossing.

For his part, Mofaz stressed Israel's commitment to these understandings and the vision of the American president's vision George W. Bush to found two Palestinian and Israeli states. But he said that the Palestinians should make reform in the security departments and start fighting what he called terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure so as to accelerate the dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.