Mubarak Urges Palestinian-Israeli Summit in US SoonEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Monday that it is necessary for US President Bill Clinton to host a Palestinian-Israeli summit in Washington "as soon as possible" before he leaves office this month.Mubarak voiced the hope when meeting a US delegation led by Senator Arlen Specter, which arrived here Sunday, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported. Clinton needs to continue the efforts to bring closer views of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on his peace proposals for a final settlement, Mubarak said. He also said that the outgoing US president "should not wait for acceptance (of his peace proposals) by any party" but needs to hold a summit between the two sides "quickly" before the end of his term in office on January 20. Clinton proposed a compromise plan on December 23, which will give Palestinians sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods and the Al Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem, but deny the Palestinian refugees' right of return. Under the plan, Israel will have sovereignty over the Wailing Wall, the holiest shrine in Judaism, and part of the Armenian quarter in the Old City of East Jerusalem. Israel has accepted the proposals in principle while the Palestinian leadership has expressed deep reservations over them. Senator Specter said after talks with Mubarak that peace was a key element right now and it was time for both sides to seize the available opportunity to achieve peace. |
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