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Russia, France, Spain Ask to Attend Mideast Summit: Mubarak
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Saturday that Russia, France, Spain and the European Union (EU) have asked to take part in the proposed Middle East summit in Egypt.
A summit has been proposed to bring together Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to seek ways of ending the clashes in the Palestinian territories and revive the peace process.
Latest reports said that Arafat and Barak have agreed to show in the summit, to be hosted by Mubarak and also attended by United States President Bill Clinton, Jordanian King Abdullah II and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The U.N. chief, who held talks with Arafat in Gaza and with Barak in Jerusalem on Friday, is on his way to Egypt Saturday to meet with Mubarak to finalize the summit, which could be held as early as Monday in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh.
Mubarak told Egypt's official Middle East News Agency that Russia, which is one of the co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process and has traditional relations with Arab countries, has asked to be represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
EU High Representative of Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solanan and officials of Spain and France, which is currently holding EU's rotating presidency, have also asked to attend the summit.
The EU and its member states are keen on playing a role in the Arab-Israeli peace process.
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