Arafat confers with Mubarak today

Following his arrival in the coastal town of Alexandria, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met today with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said yesterday that Arafat would brief Mubarak on the latest developments on the Palestinian - Israeli peace track.

Answering journalists' questions yesterday evening, Moussa said that the meeting held between Osama El-Baz, Mubarak's political advisor, and Arafat in Gaza was aimed at identifying the obstacles impeding the progress of the talks and that it was an attempt to prod the Israelis and Palestinians toward a deal.

In reply to a question on whether the current negotiations are aimed at reaching a new formula for the peace process, Moussa said these efforts aim at implementing the Wye River accord, asserting that the current Egyptian efforts are basically exerted to solve some of the disagreements so as to implement the Wye accord only.

Arafat was coming from Morocco after taking part in the ceremony marking the fortieth day since the King Hassan II's death, where he held talks with the new Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, tackling the development of the situation in the region.

Meanwhile, Arafat is currently attempting to form a strong Arab stand before meeting with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (starting her Mideast tour by visiting Morocco on Wednesday) who is placing pressure on the Palestinian leadership to achieve progress in the peace process.