Egypt calls for maintaining Arab coordination

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa asserted the need for Arab coordination to withstand the difficulties the Middle East peace process is undergoing.

In press statements he made on Monday in Cairo, Moussa warned against the grave consequences of the current Israeli policy regarding the region's security and stability. He called for more consultations among the Arab states towards the grave situation the Middle East peace process has reached. He demanded the boycott of Israel unless the peace process is revived according to Madrid principles and U.N. resolutions and urged the US to take a decisive stand to rescue the peace process from the doldrums caused by the Israeli government on all tracks, SANA reported.

Further reports said that Moussa is to stop in Paris on June 17 of this month on his way back from Washington.

Meanwhile, spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry said Moussa will meet with his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine, while in Paris. The two FMs will discuss the Middle East peace process has reached and the preparations necessary for convening an international conference to salvage peace in the region. President Mubarak and President Chirac called in June for convening such a conference during the official visit Mubarak paid to Paris.

Meantime, the secretary-general of the Palestinian Authority, Ahmad Abdul Rahman, has urged the US administration to declare as soon as possible, its final stance concerning US proposals for the second stage of redeployment in the West Bank. Abdul Rahman warned against wasting more time, because the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using that time to annex more land and strengthen his settlement policy.

In a statement to Monte Carlo radio on Monday, Abdul Rahman added these US proposals have received support from the Palestinian side and should be implemented in real terms.