Qatar & Egypt on the Move on Palestinian & Iraqi Questions

01/12/2002| IslamWeb

It has been announce In Amman that Egypt's foreign minister on Saturday urged America and other nations to help halt the Mideast violence, and said the international community had reacted weakly to Israeli attacks on Palestinians while in Cairo Qatari foreign minister, SH. Jassim Ben Hamad Al-Than conveyed a verbal message fro the Emir SH Hamad Ben Khalifa Al-Thani to the Egyptian president reportedly dealing with Qatar's call for an emergency Arab Summit meeting to take up the situation in the occupied Arab Territories and the threat of war in Iraq.

In a telephone conversation with Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher, Ahmed Maher discussed regional issues, including a "road map" for regional peace, Petra said.

The "road map," a peace plan which was to be presented on Dec. 20, calls for a three-year program that would result in a Palestinian state living in peace beside Israel.

The United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations have jointly been trying to finalize the plan for a negotiated settlement.

Petra also quoted Maher as saying the international community had been "very weak" in reacting to Israeli violence against Palestinians. In more than two years of fighting, almost 2,000 Palestinians have been killed along with more than 650 on the Israeli side.

Earlier Saturday, Muasher discussed the Mideast conflict with Palestinian Cabinet member Saeb Erekat during his visit to Amman.

"We discussed the content and details of the road map, and we still hope that it would gain large international support in order to launch it ... as soon as possible," Muasher said.

Erekat also urged the international community to help halt the violence, and urged Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and lift military blockades of Palestinian towns and cities, Petra said.

After their meeting, Muasher reiterated the importance of dialogue to solve the crisis.

A new round of talks is expected to begin in Cairo on Sunday when Maher is booked to meet separately with Erekat and Israeli Labor Knesset member Yossi Katz, Egyptian officials said.

An aide to new Israeli Labor leader, Amram Mitzna, said Katz's visit to Cairo marks the first official act by Mitzna as Labor's chief and is seen as a bid to open communication channels with the Egyptians. Egypt is regarded as a key Mideast mediator and is one of only two Arab states, along with Jordan, to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.

Palestinian and Israeli officials have said, however, that Katz and Erekat are not expected to meet in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani in Sharm el-Sheik on Saturday for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and threat of a war in Iraq.

The correspondent of the Doha-based Al-Jazeera Arabic TV Satellite Station in the Egyptian capital meanwhile said talks during the meeting focused on Qatar's call for an emergency Arab summit to discuss the territories and Iraq.

No further details were immediately available

PHOTO CAPTION

Egypt's foreign minister on Saturday urged America and other nations to help halt the Mideast violence. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani in Sharm el-Sheik on Saturday for talks on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and threat of a war in Iraq.