Palestinians, Israel Agree to Strive for End to Violence: MubarakEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday that the Palestinians and Israel have agreed to take measures to end the ongoing violence and restart peace talks four weeks after reaching a ceasefire.Mubarak made the remarks after a meeting with visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, during which they discussed the situation in the Middle East and an Egyptian-Jordan peace plan calling for end to the Palestinian-Israeli clashes and efforts aimed at resuming peace negotiations. But Mubarak did not elaborate on the measures to be taken by the Palestinians and Israel and when the two sides will reach and implement a ceasefire. He said that Peres conveyed a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to him, in which Sharon promised to take steps to ease the hardships of the Palestinians, who are suffering from Israeli blockade. "This would give hope that there will be stability and all people, including the Palestinians and Israelis, will be protected if this (Sharon's promise) is implemented," Mubarak told reporters. Some points of the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative were mentioned in Sharon's message, Mubarak said, stressing that Cairo could not decide unilaterally whether to accept any possible amendments put forward by Israel. "We must discuss with Jordan and we should agree with each other," he said. |
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