 |
Solution to Mideast Conflict Vital to World Safety: Mubarak
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Thursday warned that there would be "no safety" in the world if the Arab-Israeli conflict will not be settled "comprehensively."
"Although we are dealing with the terrorists there in Afghanistan, there will be no safety on our planet in the future without reaching a comprehensive settlement to the problem of the Middle East," Mubarak said at a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair after their talks.
While lauding U.S. President George W. Bush's endorsement of a future Palestinian state, Mubarak said that he and Blair agreed to maximize their efforts to reach this objective "as soon as possible."
Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts would not allow terrorist groups to use the stalemate of the Mideast peace process to justify their terror activities, Mubarak said.
He called on the international community to be united against terrorism, while proposing international efforts to combat terrorism within the framework of the United Nations.
"Now it is time to hold an international conference against terrorism, which I had proposed 10 years ago, because we have suffered from terrorism for a long time," Mubarak said, adding that Egypt has done a lot to fight terrorism in the country.
But he stressed that efforts should be made to reject any attempts to link terrorism to the Arab or Islamic world.
For his part, Blair spoke highly of Mubarak's supports for international efforts against terrorism, making it clear that the current struggle against terrorism is by no means a campaign by the Western countries against Islam.
He said that the purpose of terrorists who attacked the U.S. on September 11 was not only to kill innocent people, but also to make division between "the Arabs and the Western, Muslim and other faiths."
"We will not be divided, rather we will stand united to bring the terrorists to justice," Blair said.
The British leader also said that it is important to continue efforts to push forward the stalled Mideast peace process, adding that the Mideast conflict needs to be addressed "urgently."
Blair flew into Cairo in the day from Oman, where he met Omani Sultan Qabus bin Said and rallied 23,000 British troops on exercise there.
Cairo is the last leg in Blair's shuttle diplomacy to drum up support for the U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition as military operations against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan continue.
Last week, Blair visited Pakistan and India.
In This Section
|