President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Sultan Qaboos of Oman reached an agreement on Egypt’s Middle East peace moves and efforts to secure the rights of the Palestinians, according to a joint communique issued yesterday in Cairo and Muscat at the end of two days of talks between the two leaders.”
Oman is one of three area states which defied the rest of the Arab world in refusing to break relations with Egypt over its peace treaty with Israel. The two other states are Sudan and Somalia.
The joint communique stated that the sultan “supports the efforts” of Mubarak “for securing a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that also guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people.”
The communique added that Egypt “supports the role played by the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council” which met in Saudi Arabia last month “in preserving security and stability of the region and in developing its capabilities in the service of its people.” The Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emigrates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, is considering economic integration and plans to increase their defense and security capabilities.
During his visit to Oman, Sultan Qaboos accepted Mubarak’s invitation to visit Egypt. This was Mubarak’s first visit to an Arab country since he assumed power last October following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Last month he visited the United States and five West European countries.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
