Arafat Arrives in Cairo to Meet MubarakPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat arrived in Cairo on Wednesday morning for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the Middle East crisis.During their meetings, Arafat and Mubarak are expected to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, the official Middle East News Agency reported. The brief visit came as Arafat was on his way to the United States on Thursday and is part of the continued consultations between the two leaders on ways of ending the clashes between Palestinian protestors and Israeli security forces, the agency said. Arafat is a frequent visitor to Egypt for meetings with Mubarak to consult and coordinate on the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. As a leading country in the Arab world, Egypt has been playing a major role in mediating the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Arafat is also due in London on Wednesday to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Arafat will meet with US President Bill Clinton on Thursday to seek ways of carrying out agreements reached between the Palestinians and Israel aimed at stopping the violence. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will also travel to the U.S. to hold talks with Clinton on Sunday for the same goal. |
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