CAIRO (Al Arabiya)
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with United States envoy George Mitchell on Thursday in a bid by the Obama administration to push for a resumption of Arab-Israeli peace talks.
Mitchell urged the region to "take responsibility" for relaunching the stalled Arab-Israeli peace talks and reiterated his support for a two-state solution, during a brief visit to the Egyptian capital.
" The United States is asking all the parties, Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states to take responsibility for peace through actions that will help create a positive context for the relaunch of negotiations " George Mitchell, U.S. envoy "The United States is asking all the parties, Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states to take responsibility for peace through actions that will help create a positive context for the relaunch of negotiations," Mitchell said in a short statement to reporters.
Mitchell held more than two hours of meetings with Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.
"Cairo sees there is an effort being made and an attempt to place the foundations for negotiations," Gheit told reporters.
He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was expected in Cairo on Friday or Saturday for talks with Mubarak. |
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Regional offensive " Cairo sees there is an effort being made and an attempt to place the foundations for negotiations " Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit Mitchell met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and will meet him again on Friday to push for a West Bank settlement freeze, a key demand of the United States and the Palestinians. He will also meet with Jordan's King Abdullah.
Mitchell did not comment on whether a planned meeting at next week's United Nations General Assembly between U.S. President Barack Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas would go ahead.
Abbas has made a resumption of peace negotiations with Israel, suspended since December, conditional on halting settlement activity as stipulated by a U.S.-backed 2003 peace "road map" charting a course towards Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu has said he would be prepared to temporarily limit the scope of building but projects under way would continue.
Mubarak called on Israel to stop all settlement activities and resume talks with Palestinians in a meeting with Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday.
(With Agencies) |
