CAIRO: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met with President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa in Cairo Thursday as he brought his Mideast tour to a close.
Talks centered on Kouchner’s efforts to lay the groundwork for an upcoming US-sponsored peace conference in November, and covered other topics such as Lebanon and Iraq.
In essence, Egypt is reticent about backing a conference with no discernable agenda as of yet. In a press conference between the two foreign ministers, Aboul Gheit reiterated previous comments by Mubarak about the need for a clear agenda for the conference.
“We hope that the time from now to the meeting be made available to clarify many positions, he said.
Besides the latest developments in Palestine and Israel – where Kouchner had spent the first three days of his visit – the French minister and Arab League head Moussa also discussed what could be done in Lebanon, Kouchner’s final destination, and Iraq.
Moussa commended Kouchner’s efforts, observing that the new French government has intensified its diplomatic endeavors in the region. Meanwhile, Kouchner said that it was yet to be seen whether the efforts were effective, but that France insists on working with the Arab League and other partners in the region to achieve a measure of progress.
Kouchner landed in Egypt on Wednesday night and met with Amr Moussa the following morning, the French Embassy confirmed to Daily News Egypt.
He began his Middle East tour on Monday, spending three days meeting with Palestinian and Israeli officials, then making a quick stop in Jordan on his way to Egypt. From there he went on to Lebanon, his final stop of the tour.
While in Jerusalem, he had made a bold declaration that a Palestinian state could be forthcoming in a matter of “weeks .
After meeting with Moussa, his comments had toned down somewhat, where he said “It is not enough but it was a good beginning. Olmert and Abu Mazen [Abbas] were talking with the same words – about the necessity of the success of this conference or meeting.
The French Foreign Minister said that the success of the upcoming peace conference was imperative to achieve a lasting peace in the region after the disappointments of Madrid and Oslo.
Kouchner did draw attention to the dire conditions suffered by the Palestinian people, whether in the West Bank or Gaza, saying that these conditions must be changed and “hope must be restored to the Palestinian people.
The minister added that France was adamant about improving the Palestinians’ living conditions and stressed that the solution to the Palestinian issue would be gained through peaceful means.
After the visit to Egypt, the French minister headed to Lebanon to try to arbitrate between rival political factions on electing a new president. The Lebanese parliament is due to convene on Sept. 25 to elect a successor to Emile Lahoud, the long-serving president who boasts close ties to Syria.
