Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stressed Thursday that there would be "no safety on our planet" without a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, warning that the problem would spawn more terrorists, reported AFP.
"We are dealing with the terrorists there in Afghanistan, but without reaching a comprehensive settlement to the problem of the Middle East, I'm afraid this will lead to very bad future on the whole world.
"There will be no safety on our planet in the future," he added, speaking in English at a joint press conference with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair before having lunch with him.
"This problem, I'm afraid that it may lead to much more generation of terrorist groups in the world," he said, repeating a warning he has made on numerous previous occasions.
Mubarak has previously said that if the US kills Osama bin Laden, a “thousand Bin Ladens would be born.”
Blair added: "I have no doubt at all that it is important not just for stability in the region but for the stability of the world that we see this process (the Middle East peace process) succeed.
"It is important that we put this peace process back on track so that there are not generations of people who then will abuse the Palestinian cause in order to commit acts of terrorism," the British premier added.
Blair is in Egypt as part of intensive contacts with Arab leaders amid efforts to maintain wide support for US-British strikes on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and positions linked to prime terrorist suspect bin Laden, who is hiding in the country.
Blair arrived in Cairo from Oman after a two-day visit to Oman during which he rallied 23,000 British troops on exercise and held talks with Sultan Qaboos.
Blair and Qaboos discussed "the latest developments on the international scene and ways of reinforcing relations of historical friendship" between the two countries, the official ONA news agency reported.
Britain has assembled 24 warships -- the biggest armada since the 1982 Falklands War -- as well as fighter jets, tanks and more than 23,000 troops in the sultanate for joint exercises with their Omani counterparts.
The maneuvers, codenamed Swift Sword II, were planned three years ago and their final phase is due from October 18 to 26.
On the eve of his visit to Muscat, Blair had met with the UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in Geneva where the ailing Gulf leader is for medical check-up – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
