Arafat in Cairo today to discuss peace developments with Mubarak

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will arrive in Cairo today to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak concerning recent developments in the Middle East peace process.

The Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, Zehdi al-Qadra, said Arafat's visit is of great importance because it comes prior to the expected visit to be held by Mubarak to the US on July 1. He added that talks between Arafat and Mubarak will deal with means of pushing the Middle East peace process forward in this very crucial stage with all efforts to unify Arab ranks.

Qadra asserted the deep Egyptian - Palestinian relations and solidarity between the two peoples, describing these relations as an example to be followed for inter-Arab relations.

For his part, the advisor of the Palestinian president, Nabil Abu Rudinah, said that Arafat's talks in Egypt aim at maintaining "coordination and coordinating stances in salvaging the Middle East peace process and giving them a push forward."

He called for accelerating efforts to convene a pan-Arab summit to coordinate Arab stances in order to withstand coming challenges.