Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak received yesterday Egypt’s Ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Bassiouni, who was summoned by Cairo last Tuesday in protest against the escalating Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people. The Middle East News Agency, which reported the news, did not mention what was discussed during the meeting. In a related context, Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam praised Egypt’s decision to recall Bassiouni, describing it as a good decision. Khaddam said in an interview with Al-Ahram newspaper published yesterday that the events unfolding in the Palestinian arena and the waves of Arab anger from the Mediterranean to the Gulf will exert pressure on Arab governments to utilize their capabilities in pursuing Arab policies capable of confronting and achieving national interests through a coherent Arab system.
Regarding Arab solidarity and the initiation of genuine Arab-Arab dialogue to end Arab disputes and problems, Syrian Vice President Khaddam stated that the upcoming Arab summit in March will be dedicated to this goal. He questioned how Arabs can make peace with Israel while struggling to achieve peace within themselves. Concerning the claims of some about the Arab nation’s inability to halt the daily Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, Khaddam emphasized that Arabs are not weak, but strong with their potential, yet they are distant from employing it, and they require the intellect and reason to shape such decisions.
Concerning the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli peace process, Khaddam pointed out that the peace process had already advanced in negotiations, with former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin committing to withdrawal to the borders of June 4, 1967, through the withdrawal document. However, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu halted this progress, and consequently, the Israeli side’s commitment was suspended. The Syrian Vice President indicated that negotiations on the Syrian-Israeli track are ongoing, but there is a gap between the two positions, and new developments have emerged, including the Palestinian uprising and others. Khaddam clarified that peace will be achieved when Israel changes its policies, commits to withdrawing from all occupied Syrian territories on June 4, 1967, and recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right of return, self-determination, the establishment of their independent state, and its capital in Jerusalem.
