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Sharon Denies Urging U.S. to Cut Military Aid to Egypt
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon denied Friday that he had blamed Egypt for having a negative influence on the Middle East peace process and urged the United States to cut military aid to Egypt during his maiden visit to the U.S. days ago.
In response to earlier media reports in this regard, a statement issued by Sharon's office said "the issue of Egypt was not raised by the prime minister during his talks with the (U.S.) Administration in Washington."
Earlier Friday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reacted to the reports by saying that Egypt would change its stance toward Sharon if he had really called on the U.S. to reduce military aid to Egypt.
The U.S. provides Egypt with US$1.3 billion in military aid annually, whereas its military assistance to Israel amounts to US$1.92 billion every year.
"Sharon considers Egypt to be the leading country in the Arab world, and believes that Egypt is of great importance in advancing the peace process and preserving regional stability," the statement said.
"It should be recalled that Israel and Egypt have been at peace (albeit a cold peace) for many years," it added.
Israel's Army Radio has reported that in a closed-door meeting with U.S. Congress leaders, Sharon accused Egypt of playing "a negative role" in the peace talks and urged Congress to consider stopping aids to Egypt.
Relations between the two countries have never been warm enough since they signed the first Israeli-Arab peace agreement in 1979. The situation worsened after the outbreak of the bloody violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian protestors late last September.
The nearly half-year clashes, triggered by Sharon's provocative visit to an Islamic holy shrine in East Jerusalem, have so far killed more than 420 people, most of them Palestinians, and injured thousands more.
Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel Mohammed Bassiouni last November in the wake of another round of Israeli retaliatory attacks on the Palestinian self-rule Gaza Strip.
Also on Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said that he never trusted the promises of Israeli politicians.
In an interview with Israel's Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot, Moussa claimed "there is no more trust in the Israeli policy that has led us to the gloomy situation in which we find ourselves now."
Moussa also criticized the precondition Sharon set for a resumption of peace talks with Palestinians -- a substantial decrease of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"From Sharon's remarks it seems that first of all the Palestinians must bend over and surrender to his dictates, and only afterwards, under conditions of surrender, blockade and the military presence in the territories, will the negotiations open," Moussa satirized.
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