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| No Breakthrough After Israel-Egypt Talks | |
| 2007-01-05 | |
| SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - A summit between the leaders of Israel and Egypt on Thursday fell short of its goal of igniting a new round of Mideast peace efforts, highlighting the significant disagreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Speaking at a news conference after the meeting, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak pushed Israel to hold talks with Syria and pursue peace with the Palestinians, despite the rise of the Islamic militant group Hamas. He also condemned an Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday that killed four Palestinian civilians and wounded 20 others. Mubarak, a key mediator between the Palestinians and Israel, stressed that "Israel's and the region's security would be achieved only by serious endeavors toward peace." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologized for civilian casualties in the raid, which began when undercover troops seized four fugitive Palestinians in a Ramallah vegetable market, sparking a ferocious gunbattle with militants. "Things developed in a way that could not have been predicted in advance. If innocent people were hurt, this was not our intention," he said. The summit came amid international calls for Israel and the Palestinians to make a renewed effort to end their dispute in the interest of stabilizing the Middle East, particularly Iraq. It also comes ahead of an expected Mideast visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this month. Egypt is eager to broker peace between the Palestinians and Israel, and Mubarak on Thursday said he would welcome a meeting bringing together himself, Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II. "After the situation is crystalized, there is no objection for a quartet meeting," he said.
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| Posted by:Steve White |