Ariel Sharon is the only Israeli politician, who can reach conclude a peace deal with the Palestinians, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in comments published on Sunday.
"Sharon, of all the Israeli politicians, is the only one capable of achieving peace with the Palestinians," Mubarak said in an interview with Spain's ABC newspaper. "He has the ability to take difficult decisions, commit to what he says and carry it out," the Egyptian leader said.
Mubarak pointed to Sharon's success in pushing through Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip this year despite stiff opposition from settlers and from within the ruling Likud party, which Sharon left last week.
"I think Sharon is serious in his efforts to achieve peace. The recent progress in Israel confirms this. He has left his own party to build another more centrist one, driven by his discontent with the rigid attitudes of his party on the peace process," Mubarak said.
