Mubarak confers with Netanyahu

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Present at the meeting were Egypt's Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri and President Mubarak's advisor for political affairs Osama el-Baz on the Egyptian side and the Israeli side was represented by Netanyahu's secretary Dan Naveh, radio Cairo reported.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu arrived in Cairo for a several-hour visit to Egypt, and was welcomed at the airport by Prime Minister Ganzouri.

Meanwhile, Israeli radio reported that Netanyahu and President Mubarak discussed means of implementing UN resolution 425, which provides for the withdrawal of Israel's forces from south Lebanon. The radio report added that President Mubarak had discussed this issue with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad by the end of last week.

In another development. President Mubarak asserted the importance of liberating the occupied Syrian and Lebanese territories and the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people according to the Madrid terms of reference and peace process bases.

In a statement to NBC published today President Mubarak expressed hope that his meeting with Netanyahu today would result in finding a formula to revive the peace process. "The stalemate in the peace process has created a very bad atmosphere in the region," he said.

The Egyptian President added, "If negotiations do not proceed and Israel clings to its intransigent stance, this will have an adverse impact on the region's security and stability."

President Mubarak reiterated Egypt's opposition to military strikes against Iraq by the US.