Moussa: London meetings to be based on US initiative

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa confirmed that the meetings to be held on May 4 in London between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be made on the basis of the still-unannounced US initiative.

Moussa said that the London meetings will be preceded by US special envoy Dennis Ross' regional tour to prepare for the meeting, and that prior to the meeting, the parties involved should have "reach some specific positions."

Moussa said the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister to Cairo next Tuesday and and the agreement of President Mubarak to meet with him at this essential stage is because it is important to address all parties involved, especially Israel.

Moussa said the London meetings, which are based on the US initiative, will focus on discussing the second phase of Israeli redeployment in the West Bank and a specific percentage of Israeli troop withdrawal, then the third phase redeployment and methods of accomplishing it.

Moussa said the choice of London as the place for convening these meetings was made on the basis that Britain is currently heading the European Union and it can play a role in facilitating things if necessary.

Regarding the Syrian-Israeli negotiations, Moussa explained that the Syrian position is known -- negotiations must be resumed from at which they stopped.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said after his meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who is currently visiting Egypt that their meeting tackled the subject of peace in the Middle East generally, and the Israeli suggestion to withdraw from south Lebanon specifically. He said: The Lebanese position is also known -- unconditional and non-negotiable implementation of UN resolutions 425.