Posted on 01/30/2003 5:35:39 AM PST by Israel Insider
In a surprise move, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and congratulated him on his election victory. A year ago, Mubarak declared he could not work with Sharon; the two have not met since Sharon took office. Sharon told U.S. President George W. Bush that he would continue to work towards implementing their joint diplomatic plan, but rebuffed an offer for talks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, Mubarak called Sharon Wednesday morning and invited him for talks as soon as he established a new government. The two "discussed the need to continue the peace process in the Middle East," an official statement said.
Two days ago, Mubarak said in an interview that Egypt "must step up the contacts with Sharon, who will be reelected, and deal with him in a different way, because silence has not helped."
Egyptian sources said in Cairo that after his reelection, "Sharon could no longer be ignored," Yediot Aharonot reported. The sources added that Mubarak's planned meeting with Sharon was intended to give new life to the peace process and bring the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiations table.
Egypt has recently been the initiator and host of meetings between the various Palestinian factions with the goal of reaching an agreement among them to end, at least temporarily, terror attacks against Israeli civilians. Israel would refrain from 'targeted killings' and lift closures on Palestinian territories as a result, according to the Egyptian plan. But Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives said their organizations would continue the "armed struggle," causing the Cairo meeting to end without adopting the Egyptian plan. The talks are scheduled to continue next week.
Ha'aretz reported that according to Mubarak, "Egypt is not asking the Palestinians to end the jihad or the resistance to the occupation, but just to agree to a cease-fire that would embarrass Israel."
A few months after Sharon was elected in 2001, Mubarak was quoted in the Chinese news agency Xinhua as saying, "With Sharon, there is no solution. He is a man who knows only murder, strikes, and war." Before the 2001 elections, Mubarak said Israel and Egypt "have a peace agreement, but does that mean I have to talk with him?"
A senior diplomatic official told the Jerusalem Post that Israel welcomes Mubarak's invitation for talks with Sharon. "There is no doubt that Mubarak understands that there was an election in Israel, and that Sharon is not just a passing episode," he said. "In Mubarak's efforts to project himself as a broker for peace, he realizes the need to establish regular relations with Israel."
Sharon to push President Bush's plan President Bush telephoned Sharon Wednesday evening and congratulated him on his victory in the Israeli elections. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, "Bush said that the elections were very important for Israel and that it was now possible to continue implementing what Prime Minister Sharon believes in. Prime Minister Sharon thanked U.S. President Bush and said that he would continue to act towards implementing the plan that they have agreed upon."
According to media reports, Sharon will make acceptance of Bush's Middle East vision, which includes the establishment of a temporary Palestinian state with undefined borders, a requirement of his potential coalition partners as he forms a new government. Sharon reportedly told his close associates that he has no intentions of forming a right-wing government with the participation of the National Union party, which totally rejects the possibility of a Palestinian state.
Arafat willing to meet Sharon "tonight" In an interview Wednesday with Channel 10 television, Arafat was asked if he was willing to meet with Sharon. He replied: "Tonight. If he's ready, I'm ready." Arafat noted that he used to meet with Sharon's son, Omri, adding that "we hope to return as soon as possible to discussions."
Sharon immediately rejected a chance of meeting with Arafat. In an official statement, Sharon said one "who continues to finance, initiate, operate and dispatch terror - will not be a partner for negotiations.
"In the framework of Israel's efforts to move forward on the diplomatic track and bring about quiet and - in the end - peace, Israel will be prepared to speak only to those Palestinians who are not involved in terror in any way, shape or form," the statement added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said Sharon's victory was a blow to peace and that the Israelis had made a terrible, historic mistake.
"We urge the new Israeli government to withdraw from Palestinian areas immediately and come back to the negotiating table," said Arafat spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
Be careful Mr Sharon, don't betray your nation as Menachem Begin did at Camp David. Don't make any deals with the slimy Egyptians.
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