CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak will host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Alexandria today for discussions following the first visit by an Israeli prime minister to Palestinian lands in seven years last Monday.
Abbas arrived in Egypt Tuesday after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jericho, the West Bank to discuss the future of the creation of a Palestinian state.
International relations expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Emad Gad told Daily News Egypt that the meeting would mainly entail Abbas updating Mubarak on the recent events in the territories and the meeting with Olmert.
“Abbas is deviating from coordinating with Egypt over what action to take because he doesn’t need to. He can talk to the Americans or Europeans. He has his own vision and Egypt is no longer the focal authority for Palestinian actions. He is not Arafat, Gad said.
He added, “He [Abbas] now has his own channels with Israel. This is the first meeting with Mubarak after Gaza fell to Hamas, so Abbas will just be presenting his point of view.
Mena news agency reported that Abbas and Mubarak will discuss the Middle East peace conference called by US President Bush and tentatively scheduled for November of this year.
The meeting comes amidst “exerted efforts to revive the peace process, the Mena report said.
Egypt is continuing to arbitrate between Hamas and Israel over the release of a captured Israeli soldier taken by Gaza militants according to AFP.
“Abbas is adamantly refusing to resume negotiations with Hamas, while Egypt wants negotiations to be resumed, Gad said, “so they [the two leaders] will be talking about Hamas.
AFP suggests that the meeting could also cover the status of the “stranded Palestinians in Rafah and Al-Arish – stuck in Egypt since June 15 when Gaza fell to Hamas and the Rafah crossing was closed – who have been returning in droves to Gaza this week through Al-Oja crossing and onto Gaza through the Erez crossing.
The Rafah crossing, which straddles the Egyptian-Gazan border, is the only crossing into Palestinian territory not controlled by Israel. It has been closed since Hamas defeated Fatah and took over the Gaza strip.
“The case of the stranded Palestinians is an issue both Abbas and Mubarak agree on. Abbas does not want to reopen the Rafah crossing and nor did Egypt request it, Gad said.
A three-hour long meeting between Olmert and Abbas, as well as Palestinian and Israeli officials, took place in the West Bank Monday.
Olmert became the first Israeli leader to visit a Palestinian territory in seven years when he met with Abbas on the outskirts of Jericho in the West Bank.
