Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali is expected here next week to try to ease the strains which have developed over President Hosni Mubarak’s projected visit to Israel. The Cabinet agreed yesterday to forego the visit unless Mubarak comes to Jerusalem, a gesture of profound political significance which the Egyptian leader wants to avoid at this time.
There was no official reaction in Egypt to the Cabinet’s position, but a formal response is expected from Cairo within the next few days. The view here is that, having stated its position, Israel will not pursue the issue and the next move is up to Mubarak.
The Egyptians argue that Mubarak, unlike his predecessor Anwar Sadat, shies away from ceremonials and dramatic gestures. He wants his visit to Israel to last no longer than one day and to be devoted strictly to the business at hand. The Egyptians also caution that at a Mubarak visit to Jerusalem would be used against him by Egyptians opposed to the peace treaty with Israel and by the rest of the Arab world. They say it would damage rather than enhance the peace process.
EGYPTIAN CONTENTIONS REJECTED
Israeli sources have rejected these arguments, maintaining that Mubarak’s first visit to Israel must demonstrate Egypt’s determination to continue the peace process after Israel completes its withdrawal from Sinai next month and should not be limited to a brief working session. Israelis who hold that view have been accused of showing little understanding for what is described as “Mubarak’s difficulties.”
Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who briefed the Cabinet yesterday on his three-day visit to Cairo last week, said no crisis would occur if Mubarak’s visit to Israel fails to materialize. But Deputy Premier Simcha Ehrlich predicted that once Israel leaves Sinai there will be a “cold peace” between the two countries. (Related story P. 3.)
HABIB ARRIVES IN ISRAEL
Meanwhile, Premier Menachem Begin today received President Reagan’s special envoy Philip Habib who has been dispatched to the region for the fourth time since last May to attempt to preserve the tenuous cease-fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The American diplomat, who arrived here last night from Beirut, reportedly brought no new proposals. He will meet with Shamir and with Defense Minister Ariel Sharon before continuing his tour, probably to Saudi Arabia.
The Israelis hold little hope that Habib will be able to improve what they consider to be a rapidly deteriorating situation in south Lebanon. Sharon met with U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis last week to complain of repeated sabotage attempts by Palestinian terrorists despite the cease-fire. He warned that Israel would not remain idle in face of continuing provocations.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
