Butros Ghali, Egypt’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, declared here that Egyptian-Israeli talks on Palestinian autonomy cannot be held in Jerusalem. He made that statement at a press conference in the course of a three-day visit to The Hague which ended yesterday.
Ghali said, among other things, that Europe can still play a useful role in settling the Middle East problem, not independent of the United States but in coordination with it. The key to a solution lies with Washington, the Egyptian diplomat said.
He added, however, that the European Economic Community (EEC) should put forward its own views on a Middle East peace settlement and he hoped the process would not slacken because of the current Falkland Islands crisis.
EGYPT TO BOYCOTT ARAB SUMMIT
Ghali also said that Egypt would not participate in the forthcoming Arab summit conference in Fez, Morocco, convened by the Arab League. The Arab League moved its headquarters from Cairo to Tunis in protest against the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. Ghali said the move was illegal and Egypt does not recognize it. He said the Arab League headquarters must be returned to Cairo and a new secretary general must be elected.
Ghali came here last Friday to attend a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Academy for International Law to which he was elected last year. He also met with Netherlands Foreign Minister Max van der Stoel who he invited to visit Cairo. The date for the visit was set at July 2-5.
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