Mubarak, Arafat Hold Talks on Mideast SituationEgyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks Wednesday morning with visiting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at Borg el-Arab, west of the Egyptian Mediterranean port of Alexandria, on the latest situation in the Middle East.The two leaders are also expected to discuss international efforts to restore calm to the region amid a fragile U.S.-brokered Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire plan, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported. Arafat arrived in Cairo from Madrid late Tuesday on a two-day visit to Egypt, as Mubarak was making efforts on the Arab and international arenas to stop Israeli aggressions and consolidate the ceasefire. The ceasefire took effect last Wednesday, but sporadic shootings and confrontations between the two sides have continued. During his official visit to Spain on Tuesday, Arafat reiterated the call for immediate deployment of international observers in the occupied Palestinian territories to monitor the Palestinian-Israeli truce. He also reaffirmed the Palestinian National Authority's committment to peace, saying that the PNA will not tolerate any act against the ceasefire and the recommendations of the Mitchell report. The Mitchell report, released by an international panel led by former U.S. senator George Mitchell on causes of the Palestinian- Israeli violence, calls for an immediate ceasefire, a freeze on Jewish settlement activities and Palestinian curb on attacks against Israeli targets. A frequent visitor to Egypt, Arafat often discusses complicated issues with Mubarak, who has been playing a major mediatory role in the Middle East peace process. |
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