Mubarak refuses to meet with Netanyahu

The Kuwaiti daily al-Qabas said on Sunday that President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak of Egypt refused to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the request of the latter.

The paper quoted sources which it described as well-informed as saying that President Mubarak set new conditions to meet with Netanyahu. Among these are Netanyahu's commitment to his obligations with the Palestinian Authority, the implementation of the Wye River agreement, halting Israel's settlement policy, opening certain files concerning Egyptian-Israeli relations, and the issue of returning "Deir al-Sultan" to the Egyptian church.

The sources added that Netanyahu has recently made several attempts directly or indirectly, through several mediators, to convene a meeting with the Egyptian president in accordance to the request of his aides, who recommended him the need of such a meeting with President Mubarak in order to support his election as prime minister in the forthcoming Israeli elections, because public opinion in Israel looks forward to improving relations with Egypt.