Egypt Follows up Sharon's Visit to US "Closely:" FM

Egypt was "closely" following up Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's recent visit to the United States and will make it clear whether the Israeli hardliner has asked Washington to punish Egypt, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Friday.

Before heading to Amman for the Arab summit on March 27, Moussa said that the Egyptian Embassy in the U.S. would submit a report on whether Sharon has accused Cairo of having a negative influence on the Mideast peace process and urged the U.S. to take punitive measures against Egypt, including cutting military aid.

Israeli Army Radio reported on Wednesday that during his visit to the US this week, Sharon accused Egypt of having a negative influence on the Middle East peace process and urged Washington to cut its military aid to Egypt, which stands at 1.3 billion dollars in the current fiscal year, compared with 1.92 billion dollars to Israel.

If Sharon's remarks were true, Egypt would take a "right stance" on Sharon, Moussa said. But he did not specify what reactions Egypt might make.

Moussa reaffirmed that Egypt will continue its positive role in realizing a just and balanced peace in the Middle East, stressing that the Palestinians are not the source of the ongoing violence.

In a meeting with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Mohamad el-Orabi on Thursday, Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Zvi Mazel delivered a message from the Israeli government, which termed the Palestinian uprising as "violence" and called on Egypt to persuade the Palestinians to stop "violence" and return to the negotiating table.

Moussa called on both the Palestinians and Israelis to make efforts to curb the violence and resume peace talks.

The clashes between Israeli troops and the Palestinians triggered by Sharon's provocative visit to an Islamic holy site in East Jerusalem last September have so far left more than 420 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands more injured.

Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been playing a major meditating role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.






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