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Mubarak Sees Possibility to Postpone Declaring Palestinian Statehood
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that the Palestinians could postpone declaring statehood beyond September 13, a target date for a final peace deal with Israel.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has said he would declare an independent state on September 13, with or without an agreement with Israel.
"I hope that a solution will be reached. But I cannot tell whether this will happen before or after September 13," Mubarak told reporters after inaugurating a scientific research complex near the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.
He said the deadline could be postponed with a view to reaching a permanent solution to avoid "a confrontation between the two sides (the Palestinians and Israelis)."
"I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic when it comes to this deadline," he said. "If a solution is found before September 13, I
think there will be no problem. If not, we have to be very patient, we have to be practical."
Under pressure from the United States, some Arab states and other countries have advised Arafat not to be hasty in declaring statehood. Egypt is one of the very few countries which have said will recognize the Palestinian state whenever declared.
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