The date for the anticipated summit meeting between Premier Shimon Peres and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak isn’t finalized, Egypt’s Charge d’Affaires, Mohammad Basyouni, told Israel Radio last Friday. He said the setting of the date was the prerogative of the host country, Egypt.
Basyouni said the expected summit would deal with two major issues: a renewed momentum for the peace process, and finding a solution for the Palestinian problem.
Even if Peres and Mubarak take only one step toward a comprehensive settlement of the Mideast crisis, said Basyouni, the Palestinians and the overall peace process will gain. He stressed that a “basic solution” to the problems can be reached only through “an international convention participated (in) by all the parties concerned.”
Although there was no official word on the summit, Israeli sources continued talking about it as an established fact. Last week, Peres said it would take place by mid-September. Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said the summit would produce a plan for preparatory talks with Jordan and the Palestinians that would eventually lead to direct negotiations.
The sources said that Israel and Egypt would launch an effort to persuade King Hussein of Jordan to participate in “proximity talks” with Israel. Those comments came amidst reports from the United States that the Reagan Administration was stepping up efforts to renew the peace process, and that Secretary of State George Shultz might come to the Mideast and join the summit.
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.
