JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt next Monday to discuss a resumption of Middle East peace talks, a top Israeli official told AFP. The two leaders “agreed during a telephone conversation last night (Monday) to meet next Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh,' the Red Sea resort where Mubarak is convalescing after surgery last month.“The two will discuss all sorts of matters, especially the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians,' the official said on condition of anonymity.
According to the website of Israel's Haaretz daily, Netanyahu told a meeting of activists from his Likud party on Tuesday that he had been told Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas intended to resume the peace talks.
“I was told the president of the Palestinian Authority intends to resume these talks, and I would be delighted if that could be firmed up next week,' the site quoted the premier as saying.
After meeting US Middle East envoy George Mitchell on Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his desire for direct talks immediately, and said he expects to learn “in the next few days' whether negotiations will resume.