German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday urged Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to meet in order to move toward a resolution of the Middle East crisis.
Schroeder said he and Mubarak had agreed that "only through this meeting" could progress be made towards resolving the crisis, reported AFP.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has repeatedly blocked scheduled meetings between the two top leaders, arguing that to negotiate during clashes in the latest Palestinian uprising against 34 years of military occupation would be to "reward" resistance fighters.
Impetus for Middle East truce talks picked up speed Tuesday after Peres said he plans to hold key truce talks with Arafat "in the next couple of days or so."
Sharon on Sunday cancelled for the fourth time a meeting between Peres and Arafat, insisting that Palestinians must must first honor a ceasefire for 48 hours.
Previous attempts to enforce such a lull have seen fighting and attacks that the two sides blame on each other.
Mubarak said that "without a solution of the Palestinian problem, which can only take place through the aid of the United States and the European Union, we risk seeing (the rise of a) new generation which will threaten stability in the world."
Germany is Muabark’s second leg of a tour that will also take him to Italy later in the day.
"No state will be safe from terrorism" if this happens, Mubarak said.
With regard to the US-led response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Schroeder said Egypt was a key state in the "worldwide coalition against terror."
Mubarak said Egypt "supports the United States because we ourselves have been victims of terrorist activities."
Arafat said on Monday that he would meet with Peres after a two-day visit to Syria.
But Damascus cancelled the visit Tuesday, giving no reasons.
The Palestinians said that Arafat’s visit to Damascus would no longer take place – Albawaba.com
