Egypt calls for Arab summit after clashes

quot;Otherwise we will not reach any solution to any of the Arab issues,quot; the Egyptian leader said.

The last Arab summit was held in Cairo in 1996 to discuss the future of the Arab-Israeli peace talks, but Iraq 8212; which invaded Kuwait in 1990 8212; was not invited.

Efforts to set up subsequent summits floundered on the opposition of some Arab states, mainly Kuwait, which do not want Iraq to attend.

Last week Syria renewed a call to hold an Arab summit including Iraq. Damascus wants an Arab summit sooner rather than later to bolster its position in the stalled peace talks with Israel.

Some analysts have said Egypt could be wary of rushing into a gathering which may only highlight Arab divisions. But Cairo has said Iraq should attend any future Arab summit.

The latest outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence 8212; the worst in at least four years 8212; flared on Thursday after Ariel Sharon, a right-wing Israeli politician reviled by Palestinians, visited a religious site in Jerusalem which is sacred to Jews and Muslims and has been a main stumbling block to peace.

The al-Haram al-Sharif 8212; or Noble Sanctuary 8212; complex in Arab East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. The area is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, after the biblical temples that stood there. The al-Aqsa mosque, one of Islam8217;s holiest sites, is part of the complex.

The five days of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians have increased doubts that the two sides can reach a peace agreement soon, after 52 years of conflict. Each side blames the other for the violence.

quot;I want to say that the events clashes were expected and I have warned that Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque are the most sensitive issues in the peace process and will have grave consequences,quot; Mubarak told the news conference.

Israel8217;s Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh said earlier on Monday he saw no chance of Israel holding peace talks with the Palestinians until the bloodshed ends.

Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel, had been playing a mediation role in the peace talks, but has been more closely involved in the Israeli-Palestinian track than in the sporadic Israeli-Syrian talks, which opened in 1991 and last broke off in January.

Arab foreign ministers were due to hold an emergency meetingat Arab League headquarters in Cairo on October 21 and 22 to discuss when to convene a summit.