Moussa statements on Copenhagen group

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa has announced that his refusal to take part in the Copenhagen Alliance conference goes back to timing that was not proper to convene such a conference.

In press statements he made in Cairo on Wednesday Moussa denied that he had promised to take part in the conference.

Moussa asserted that any talks about normalization are rejected before achieving just and comprehensive peace based on restoring all occupied Arab territories.

Moussa said naming this conference as dealing with normalization is inaccurate, as it is a non-governmental civil conference that talked about peace in the Middle East. "When peace is achieved in Middle East this means lots of things, the first and most important of which are withdrawal the occupied Arab lands as well as the establishment of the Palestinian state, then establishing natural relations in the meaning of normalization."

Moussa said that when Israel withdraws from the whole of the Golan and south Lebanon and peace is established, Israel will be the beneficiary from closing the file of the Arab - Israeli conflict.

Moussa said, "When the peace process took place with Egypt, Israel won peace with Egypt; and when it took place with Jordan, Israel won peace with Jordan; and when Oslo was signed with the Palestinians, lots of countries resumed their relations with Israel; and when Israel withdraws from the Golan and from the Lebanese lands and peace exists, it will be normal to close this file."

Answering a question regarding the reason for not convening a fivefold summit meeting for the Arab countries involved in the peace process now, despite the importance of this meeting, Moussa said, "Convening this meeting is currently not possible for more than one reason, yet there is talk started regarding the comprehensive summit."