Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told the German weekly Der Spiegel he remains confident a Palestinian state will be created in the coming years. "I see the year 2008, when the second term of U.S. President George W. Bush ends, as the probable time frame," the Egyptian leader said.
In the interview published on Saturday, Mubarak said that his recent dealings with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proved that he is capable of reaching a settlement with the Palestinians. "As things stand, Sharon is the only one in Israel who can take the courageous step toward peace," Mubarak was quoted as saying by the German paper. "The contacts that we had with Sharon over recent weeks showed that he wants to move (forward)."
Mubarak added that he hopes tensions over Iran's nuclear program will not lead to a U.S. attack on that country - a move that would be "a mistake of catastrophic proportions."
