United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan spoke by phone Sunday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about the necessary steps for "saving" the Palestinians from escalating Israeli attacks, a presidential source told AFP.
Annan called Mubarak and they exchanged points of view on "the role that the UN should take, immediately, to save the Palestinian people," the source said.
"What is happening in the Occupied Territories represents a challenge to the international community and a disrespect for international legitimacy," Mubarak said during the conversation, according to the agency.
Mubarak and Annan reviewed "the dangerous consequences of the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the towns and villages in the Palestinian territories," the same source added.
Mubarak met separately Saturday with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal and Austrian President Thomas Klestil to discuss the developments.
In addition, he received calls from Annan and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, during which he discussed with them "the dangerous consequences of the escalation in the Israeli agression," according to the Cairo-based Al Akhbar on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher spoke Sunday with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is currently accompanying US President George W. Bush on his visit to Shanghai, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.
During the phone conversation, Maher stressed the "need to put an end to the Israeli invasion of Palestinian territories."
Also discussed was the position of the United States, which is calling for "a situation of stability for the two sides," the source said.
Maher has been holding a series of contacts over the weekend on the Palestinian situation, including talks with his counterparts from Germany, Italy and Jordan - Joschka Fischer, Renato Ruggiero and Abdel Ilah Khatib, respectively.
Maher was quoted Sunday by the Egyptian press agency MENA as saying that Egypt believed it was premature to take a view on the statements by Bush on the establishment of a Palestinian state, but added that Cairo was convinced that Washington wanted to resolve the Palestinian problem.
"It is still too early to judge this American move," Maher said in response to comments by MENA, which pointed out that Bush' statements have "yet to be met by practical steps."
Maher said he was "confident of a strong American will to tackle the Palestinian problem in such a manner as to guarantee stability, peace and security in the region."
"That means a fair solution based on the principles of international law," he added – Albawaba.com
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