The Mayor of Bethlehem, Elias Freij, called upon PLO chief Yasir Arafat today to support the formation of a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation to participate in Middle East peace talks.
Emerging from a one-hour meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali, the mayor, who arrived in Cairo yesterday, was asked by reporters if he would urge the PLO leader to raise the issue before the Palestine National Council, scheduled to meet in Algeria next month.
“He has to do so,” Freij responded. “He has to do that if he wants to save the West Bank as an Arab territory.”
Widely regarded as a moderate because of his long-standing call for mutual recognition between Israel and the PLO, Freij addressed himself to “Mr. Arafat and all leaders of the PLO,” warning them “that we have no time left, that Israel is proceeding at full swing to change the face of the land in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. And the Israelis are building settlements at an extensive rate, and unless there are political talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, they are not likely to stop their policies of making settlements at this rate.”
AGREES WITH MUBARAK
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Cairo airport last night, the mayor said he would be willing to participate in a Jordanian-Palestinian delegation if asked to do so. He also praised Egypt’s foreign policy as having succeeded in liberating the Sinai, and called on the PLO to recognize Israel.
“I fully agree with President (Hosni) Mubarak’s statement that we have to recognize the right of Israel to exist, in order to give the Israelis an incentive,” Freij said today. He also called upon the Arab states to restore relations with Egypt and to coordinate their policies with it, with a view toward achieving a just and lasting peace.
Freij, who came here after a two-day visit in Jordan, is expected to remain in Egypt for two weeks, during which time he will meet with a number of Egyptian officials. He is scheduled to confer this evening with Mubarak, who will leave for talks in Washington tomorrow.
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