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Thursday, November 10, 2005
President Hosni Mubarak and visiting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan discussed latest developments in the Middle East and Africa, Presidential Spokesman Soliman Awwad said. The talks took up the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories following Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip and UN Security Council resolution 1636 on Syria, Awwad added. Developments in Sudan, especially in the troubled region of Darfur and the peace talks in Abuja, Nigeriahe, also figured high on the agenda, he said . Mubarak and Annan also discussed the situation in the Horn of Africa region and the latest escalation in the region, the spokesman maintained. Awwad said that Annan expressed deep appreciation for Mubarak's role on the Arab and African arenas. On Syria, the presidential spokesman said that the UN chief briefed President Mubarak on outcome of talks with UN Security Council permanent member-states, especially the United States and France, sponsors of UNSC resolutions 1559 and 1636. Mubarak and Annan, he added, saw eye to eye on the importance of wisely implementing resolution 1636 given that Damascus pledged full cooperation with UN investigation into the killing of former Lebanese premier Rafiq al-Hariri. As for reports on holding a mini-Arab summit, the spokesman said that he had no information on the issue. Answering a question on the nature of steps taken to try anybody proven guilty in Hariri's killing, Awwad said the issue is under consideration. He said what mattered was to ensure progress of cooperation between Syria and the international commission investigating Hariri's murder until Detlev Mehlis, the commission chief, presents his report to the UN Security Council in mid December. Regarding the Palestinian and Iraqi dossiers, the presidential spokesman said that Mubarak and Annan probed means of ending foreign occupation of Iraq. Regarding the Palestinian issue, Annan expressed UN's deep appreciation of the role played by President Mubarak to secure a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. President Mubarak and Annan, he noted, agreed that the Palestinians should feel a real improvement in their daily life. |
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