Egypt Intensifies Contacts with Washington & Tel Aviv as Palestinians Intend to Convince White House They're Serious about Reform

14/07/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Egypt Intends to Maximize Positive Points in Bush's Mideast Statement, Mahir Says||Mahir, Moashar & Al-Faisal to U.S. for Quartet Session on Tuesday||Top Level Egyptian-Israeli Talks Scheduled for Sunday & Monday||PA Determined to Persuade Washington to Reconsider Decision Not to Deal with Arafat||Palestinian Resistance Man Fires at Occupation Army Road Block|| STORY: Egypt expects clarifications about President George W. Bush's blueprint for Palestinian reform and Mideast peace, not statements or decisions, Egypt's foreign minister said Saturday on the eve of his planned U.S. visit. (Read photo caption)

"It is not a secret that the (June 24) Bush speech had positive and negative points, but we want to maximize the positive points and inquire about the points that require clarification," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters.

Maher said he also wanted to "explain our stance on the negative points" of Bush's speech, which included calling for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's removal before America helps back the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

In an interview published Friday, President Hosni Mubarak said replacing Arafat could create "chaos" and cause more violence in Palestinian territories. The Egyptian leader also demanded that a "mechanism" be found to implement Bush's Mideast plan.

Maher will be joined in America by his Jordanian and Saudi counterparts. They are expected to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington. A meeting with Bush was also possible, Maher said.

Maher, Jordanian counterpart Marwan Muasher and a representative of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal will meet in New York Wednesday with the "Quartet" committee - comprising America, Russia, the European Union and United Nations. The committee is trying to end 22 months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

In New York, Maher is also scheduled to meet U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Anna and EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana.

"No statements or decisions are expected out of the New York and Washington meetings, because the goal is not to take decisions ... but to investigate the possibility of moving toward the final status negotiations," Maher said.

TOP LEVEL EGYPTIAN-ISRAELI TALKS SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY & MONDAY

As Mideast diplomatic activity hots up in America, high-level Egyptian-Israeli talks are also scheduled for the next two days.

Mubarak's top political adviser Osama El-Baz will meet Sunday with Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, an Israeli Embassy spokesman told The Associated Press.

On Monday, Mubarak himself will host Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, the first such high level meeting in months.

El-Baz recently met with Israeli Transport Minister Ephraim Sneh and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, also held talks with Sharon during a brief visit to Israel last week.

Egypt, a key Mideast moderator, was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but its dealings with the Jewish state have been rocky. Relations deteriorated further in April when Cairo announced it was downgrading its diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv to those serving the Palestinian cause

PALESTINIANS DETERMINED TO CONVINCE WASHINGTON TO DEAL WITH ARAFAT

A close aide of the Palestinian leader said Saturday, "Palestinian officials will continue to try to persuade the United States to deal with Yasser Arafat and support the "legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority."

Speaking to The Associated Press, Nabil Shaath also said that a letter sent by Arafat to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell outlining his reform plans was a "goodwill attempt" by the Palestinian leader.

Shaath's remarks, made before he went into talks with Arab League Secretary-general Amr Moussa in Cairo, was the first Palestinian response to a Powell interview broadcast Friday by the Qatari satellite channel Al-Jazeera. Powell said in the interview that the U.S. administration won't deal with Arafat and was waiting for an alternative leadership to emerge.

He said Arafat's letter was interesting, but didn't elaborate.

"I think we have to work closely with the United States and all other foreign allies in order to get over this and get the United States to seriously reconsider this," Shaath said, referring to charges by U.S. President George W. Bush that Arafat's Palestinian Authority was both corrupt and involved in terrorism.

Bush, in a Middle East policy statement last month, also called on Palestinians to elect a new leadership "not compromised by terror."

RESISTANCE MAN FIRES AT OCCUPATION ARMY ROADBLOCK

Shots were fired at occupation soldiers in an occupation army roadblock Saturday night between the villages of Baka al-Gharbiya and Baka al-Sharkiya, Israel Radio reported. There were no reports of wounded or casualties.

The occupation soldiers chased the shooter who was reportedly holed up in a Baka al-Sharkiya building, and the occupation soldiers were poised outside it.

PHOTO CAPTION

(L) Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher adjusts his jacket as he enters the Arab foreign ministers meeting at the Arab League in Cairo Friday, July 12, 2002. Eight Arab foreign ministers met for talks on the latest developments between Israel and Palestinians. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
- Jul 12 8:18 AM ET
(R) Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath talks at the plenary session of Crans Montana Forum in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Saturday, June 29, 2002. The forum hosts politicians and business people from different countries to discuss the Middle East, the Balkans and the reconstruction of Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Keystone, Andree-Noelle Pot)
- Jun 29 2:36 PM