Mubarak, Arafat Discuss Palestinian-Israeli TalksEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday went into a meeting mainly on the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.The meeting was also attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Obeid, Information Minister Safwat el-Sherif and Arafat's deputy Mahmoud Abbas. They were expected to discuss the latest development of the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations and coordinate stances ahead of a visit by United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the region. The Palestinians and Israel have made little progress in negotiating for a final peace agreement, planned for September 13, on the thorniest issues including the status of Jerusalem and Jewish settlements, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the borders. The United States has been trying to bring together Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton in a bid to seek ways to break the stalemate of the peace talks. But Palestinian officials have ruled out its convocation at the current stage, saying that Arafat will go to such a summit only for the signing of a peace accord other than negotiations. Arafat arrived in Cairo Saturday night after a trip in Tunisia, where he said the lack of progress in the peace process results from Barak's refusal to give the Israeli negotiators the go-ahead to conclude the talks under way. |
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