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Saturday, November 25, 2000
President Hosni Mubarak affirmed Egypt would send its envoy back to Israel only after the Jewish state ends its attacks against the Palestinian-ruled areas. We asked our ambassador in Tel Aviv to return to Cairo after the Israeli strikes against Palestinian cities and civilians had escalated and helicopters and rockets were unjustifiably and brutally used, the Egyptian leader said in exclusive remarks to A1 Gomhouria newspaper. The ambassador will not return unless Israel works to restore calm and the Palestinians are reassured about safety and property, he said. Mubarak added that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak had done nothing to create a favourable atmosphere to restart peace negotiations. The entire world is dismayed at the Israeli acts and practices and the indiscriminate strikes against civilians with all weapons, he said. The President told Al Gomhouria Newspaper that he had repeatedly warned Barak that using tanks and gunship helicopters against the Palestinians would not resolve the crisis, but would rather engender more violence in the occupied territories. What I've warned against has taken place, Mubarak said. The Israeli aggression against the Palestinians must stop, otherwise terror would spill over into new areas, he said. He added that he would meet today with a special envoy from Barak to discuss the situation in the region. I warn against the dangers of the current situation as a whole, he said' Mubarak reaffirmed Egypt's strong commitment to peace as a strategic option. Peace is the only guarantee for the region's countries to have stability and to embark on their development plans. There can be no stability or development under violence, tension, terror and frozen peace, he said . |
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