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Mubarak Holds Talks with Arafat on Mideast Peace Process
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met on Monday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to discuss the Mideast peace process following Israel's hardliner Ariel Sharon's election as prime minister.
Mubarak and Arafat are expected to coordinate stances in the light of the latest developments and discuss prospects of the peace process, Egypt's state-run MENA news agency reported.
Arafat would update Mubarak on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories after Sharon's election and review the outcome of contacts between the Palestinians and the Israeli prime minister-elect, MENA quoted an aide to Arafat as saying.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa has said that "our policy dealing with Sharon depends on his attitude towards the peace process," adding that Arab countries would keep their ties with the Jewish state if this could serve the peace process.
"We are working on getting Israel to withdraw from the occupied Arab lands," Moussa said, adding that "wise" policies were being followed to achieve the goal.
Sharon, leader of Israel's right-wing Likud party, won a crushing victory over incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in last Tuesday's prime ministerial election, casting a shadow over the future of the Mideast peace process.
Sharon has said that he would not abide by the commitments made by Barak's government, a stance which has been dismissed by Moussa as "unacceptable."
Arafat, a frequent visitor to Egypt, arrived in Cairo Sunday night for talks with Mubarak, who has been playing a key mediating role in the Middle East peace process.
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