CAIRO: Egypt and the Arab League signaled a shift in their attitudes towards an upcoming US-sponsored peace conference due to take place in the fall after a visit to Egypt Tuesday by American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Having previously criticized the ambiguity of the conference’s agenda, the Arabs changed tack after being given assurances of the seriousness of the conference by Rice despite the fact that the nature of these assurances was not made public.
“We feel encouraged regarding what we heard from Secretary Rice and promised her that we would help and we would help the parties as well in order to achieve the objective, which is launching the permanent status negotiations that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state on both the Palestinian territories, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.
He pointed out that the beginning of negotiations would entail the creation of a Palestinian state on border lines demarcated in 1967 as well as final status talks which would include solutions for Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees exiled in 1948.
The discussions Rice held with Egyptian officials “give us a lot of trust and confidence, he added, “we are encouraged because the secretary of state assures us that she is determined and the [US] President [George Bush] is determined.
For his part, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said in a press conference after meeting with Rice Tuesday afternoon that “the secretary of state has indicated her seriousness to me and Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit . there is no vision either from me or the secretary of state that this will be a conference merely for show.
“We talked about the conference and its seriousness and we discussed the core issues of the settlement, Moussa said of his meeting with Rice.
Rice said that she and President Mubarak discussed how to “create a document on which to lay a basis, a foundation on which to create a Palestinian state. Additionally, discussions with Mubarak touched upon “internal political developments [in Egypt] which were discussed in a candid manner.
The secretary of state did point out that a specific date had not been set for the conference, but that it would be within the timeframe set by Bush, which was the fall of this year. She also said that the conference would be the beginning of the process rather than the end.
“So the [conference] document must be a basis for moving forward, she added.
Aboul Gheit had floated the possibility of postponing the conference on Monday but he also said in the press conference with Rice that “we cannot continue negotiating until the end of history [while] nothing is happening . there are certain quarters in Israel which are depleting her [Rice’s] efforts and we sent a warning to these circles.
Moussa also weighed in on that matter in his press conference, saying: “The US is aware of Arab concerns about an open-ended process.
Rice’s visit to Egypt incorporated an hour-and-a-half meeting with President Hosni Mubarak at the presidential palace in the suburb of Heliopolis early Tuesday morning. She then headed to the office of Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman where she held a meeting with him and Aboul Gheit.
This was followed by a separate meeting with Aboul Gheit at the Sheraton hotel in Heliopolis which also lasted an hour-and-a-half after which they both held a press conference before she met with Moussa.
Rice then headed to Jerusalem later that day to monitor the latest developments in the process by meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials and she did sound off a warning to both sides at the press conference in Cairo.
“It is really high time for all parties to fulfill their roadmap obligations, she said.
“President Bush has made it one of his highest priorities to establish a Palestinian state, she added, “it is also the case that we have a lot of work to do.
Moussa supported this aim and said, “They [the US] want a Palestinian state, and we must work to help achieve it.
As for the discussion on internal political turbulence in Egypt and the continued incarceration of former presidential candidate Ayman Nour, Rice said: “Yes I have raised the case of Ayman Nour as I have many times before in a spirit of friendship. We do have concerns about political events [in Egypt] such as the detention of journalists.
Aboul Gheit’s response echoed his previous statements on this issue: “When we touch on issues we considered sensitive and internal, I listen. My response as always is that it is due process, a legal process. This government doesn’t interfere in Egyptian legal procedures. This has always been Egyptian law and will remain Egyptian law, he said.
When asked about the ongoing smuggling permeating the Egyptian border with Gaza, Rice said, “Of course we are concerned about the smuggling on what is a long and difficult route. No one, especially Egypt because of security concerns, wants to see smuggling.
Responding to the same question, Aboul Gheit said: “The Egyptian government is doing its best to close the tunnels, [however] the limitation of forces in this area is a stumbling block, referring to the demilitarization of the border after the 1973 war.
