Egyptian, Syrian Presidents Discuss Situation in Palestinian TerritoriesEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday urged Israel to take "serious measures" in a bid to bring the situation in the Palestinian territories back to normal.During their meeting in this Red Sea resort, Mubarak and Assad discussed the latest developments of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, and the ongoing contacts in Washington between the Palestinians and the United States, Egyptian Information Minister Safwat el-Sharif said after the meeting. The two leaders stressed that Israel must understand that peace will not be realized in the Middle East unless Israel implements all the signed agreements and returns the occupied Arab lands, Sharif told reporters. He said that the leaders touched on international efforts aimed at rallying support for the Palestinians in their struggles to restore the legitimate rights and end Israeli aggressions. The leaders also stressed the importance of the efforts to activate a peace plan proposed jointly by Egypt and Jordan, calling for end of violence and resumption of peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel, he added. They expressed support for the "positive factors" of the report presented by the International Commission of Inquiry, calling on Israel to end violence and settlement activities, Sharif said. The Palestinian territories have been rocked by Israeli aggressions and excessive use of force against the Palestinians since the Palestinian Intifada (uprising) was sparked last September by Israeli violation of an Islamic holy site in East Jerusalem. More than 500 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed in the violence. Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, last month proposed a peace plan, urging Israel to lift closure on Palestinian territories, withdraw its troops to the positions before the outbreak of the ongoing violence, and freeze settlement activities. In return, the Palestinians would guarantee a renewal of security cooperation with Israel and end incitement of violence. Mubarak and Assad also discussed the bilateral relations, especially cooperation in the fields of electricity and energy, underlining the need to exchange high-level visits to ensure cooperation, Sharif said. Assad has left Sharm El Sheikh for home after a day-long visit, cutting short a three-day Egyptian trip. Sharif said that upon his arrival, Assad asked to cut short his trip, saying that he would visit Egypt when time permits. Mubarak agreed to his idea, Sharif added, without specifying the date of next visit. |
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