Mubarak as catalyst for peace talks

CAIRO, June 5: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday for talks on the stalled Middle East peac...

CAIRO, June 5: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday for talks on the stalled Middle East peace process. Arafat arrived in Cairo from the Zimbabwean capital Harare, where he attended a meeting of the Organization of African Unity.

Arafat said his talks with Mubarak would focus on Egypt8217;s recent mediation efforts to revive the peace talks, including Mubarak8217;s meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik.

8220;All parties will face a dramatic situation if the peace process collapses,8221; Arafat was quoted as saying by Egypt8217;s Middle East news agency during a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, on his way to Cairo. After the session, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amir Moussa said Arafat and Mubarak discussed many issues,8221; but declined to elaborate.

Later, Arafat and Mubarak held a working lunch with visiting Saudi crown prince Abdullah.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in March after Israel decided to go ahead with the construction of Jewish homes in a disputed part of Jerusalem. Palestinians want that part of the city to be the capital of a future state.

Egypt, stepping up its mediation after a US attempt failed, proposed that Israel delay construction of the Jerusalem neighborhood for six months to pave the way for renewed peace talks.

Meanwhile, Miguel Moratinos, European Union8217;s special envoy to Middle East, met with Moussa on Wednesday night.

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He later told reporters he would leave for Washington on Thursday for talks with Dennis Ross, US envoy whose recent shuttle between Israel and the Palestinians was not successful.

Moratinos supported Egypt8217;s mediation efforts saying, 8220;the Egyptian initiative is trying to overcome the two main issues in the crisis,8221; which he said were the new Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem and further Jewish settlement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.