Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Sunday that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s top political advisor, Osama Al Baz, met with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres last Friday to arrange a meeting between the minister and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Italy this Friday.
Egypt wants to promote Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, and Baz traveled to Washington two weeks ago in an attempt to persuade the US government to intensify its efforts to reduce tension in the Middle East.
Peres spoke last week on the phone with Mubarak, and subsequently described the conversation as a "good discussion," said the paper.
Both Arafat and Peres have been invited to take part in an international conference on globalization issues that will also be attended by prominent European leaders.
Haaretz said that Peres wanted to hold a series of talks with Arafat on issues concerning a cessation of "violence" and the alleviation of the economic hardships suffered by ordinary Palestinians in the Occupied Territories as a direct result of the Israeli seige.
Though Peres requested that these discussions be held in the region, it appears that he will assent to the Italian venue, which confers "European patronage" to the PA leader, the paper added.
On Friday, Israeli radio reported that several discussions had been held between Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Avi Gil and Baz over the meeting aimed at establishing a step-by-step ceasefire to bring calm after 11 months of the Palestinian uprising.
The Peres-Arafat meeting was brokered by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, AFP said.
Arafat and Peres shared the 1994 Nobel peace prize for an interim peace deal, and Egypt is one of only two Arab nations to have a peace treaty with Israel – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
