Mubarak meets with Arafat today

Within the framework of continued consultation and coordination between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mubarak received Arafat today in the coastal city of Alexandria to relaunch the Mideast peace process.

Senior Palestinian official Nabil Abu Redina said yesterday that the talks between Mubarak and Arafat were to tackle the efforts to carry out the transitional agreements between the Palestinians and Israelis, including the Wye River accord, in light of the talks held between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak last Tuesday, and Mubarak and Barak's talks on last Thursday in Alexandria.

Meanwhile, the central committee of the Fatah movement, the chief Palestinian faction, held its meeting today in Cairo under the chairmanship of the committee's members, to discuss means of ending the strained situation and the current political situation, in addition to the efforts to boost national unity with the rest of the Palestinian factions in light of the coming stage that will witness the final status negotiations.