Moussa: Israel does not want a solution

Following his meeting on Tuesday in Paris with his French counterpart, Hubert Vedrine, Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Israel does not want a solution to the current situation with the Palestinians.

Moussa told reporters that he is carrying a message from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to French President Jacques Chirac pertaining to Middle East peace process developments.

For his part, the French FM said that he discussed with Moussa the situation in the Middle East. He said that the US is exerting important efforts. "We support these efforts, hoping it would achieve its set objective. Nevertheless we have to face the future and all its possibilities."

Moreover, in an interview with Orient radio broadcast on Tuesday, Moussa said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has given up on the Madrid terms of reference and the Oslo accords, as well as the set conditions to implement UN resolution 425 which provides for Israel's total and unconditional withdrawal from south Lebanon.

Moussa referred to the US initiative on Israeli troop redeployment in the West Bank, noting that the Palestinians accepted the initiative, while Israel blatantly refused it. Moussa made it clear that that Netanyahu's refusal to accept the US initiative has encroached upon US credibility in the Middle East.