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Mubarak Leaves for Italy for Talks on Easing Mideast Crisis
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left Cairo Tuesday for Rome to discuss with Italian leaders ways of easing the Mideast tensions in the light of Israeli continued brutalities against the Palestinians.
During his working visit, Mubarak is expected to meet with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over the latest developments in the Mideast region, the state-run MENA news agency reported.
Berlusconi will brief Mubarak on the outcome of the Group-8 (G8) summit, which concluded on Sunday in the Italian city of Genoa, said Egyptian officials, adding that the two sides will also discuss how to implement a G8's call for dispatching international observers to monitor a flagging Palestinian-Israeli truce.
The truce, brokered by U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief George Tenet, went into effect on June 13, but sporadic shootings and confrontation between the two sides have never stopped.
The leaders of seven most industrialized countries and Russia issued a statement on Saturday during their summit in the Italian city of Genoa, urging both Israel and Palestinians to accept a third-party monitoring of the truce and the implementation of the Mitchell report, both aimed at ending the violence and reviving peace negotiations.
The Mitchell report, released by an international panel led by former U.S. senator George Mitchell in May, urges Israel and the Palestinians to end violence, take confidence-building measures and finally resume their peace talks.
The statement was also included in a communique issued on Sunday at the conclusion of the summit, which was attended by the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia.
"Mubarak's working visit to Italy comes after the two countries' presidents held phone conversations," said Italian Ambassador to Egypt Mario Sica on Monday, adding that "the visit acquires special importance as it follows the G8 summit."
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