Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak said Wednesday he was sorry over the deaths in the Middle East of both Israeli and Palestinians, after a suicide car bombing killed scores of people in northern Israel.
"I am very sorry for the civilians... being killed on the Israeli and on the Palestinian side," said Mubarak following talks in London with British Premier Tony Blair.
"Violence will never stop unless there is political negotiation to give hope to the people on both sides that peace is coming," he said.
On his part, Blair said it was "impossible to describe the agony and the hurt that the people will feel." "Israel is not going to disappear, the Palestinians are not going to disappear," said Blair, who Mubarak described as "one of the most important figures in the peace process".
"At the present time, there is a huge gulf, obviously, between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. I think it's important to get a process under way, but we need to prepare the ground for it. We can't just wish it and it happens", AFP quoted him as saying.
Following his brief visit to London, the Egyptian leader was on his way to Washington. (albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
