Egyptian Ambassador Ashraf Ghorbal urged Israel today not to create “new obstacles” by its insistence that President Hosni Mubarak visit Jerusalem when he makes his first official visit to Israel. “What is needed at the present time in the Middle East is moderation and consideration,” Ghorbal said, reading from a prepared statement after a one hour meeting with Secretary of State Alexander Haig at the State Department.
Ghorbal, who has just returned from consultations in Cairo, gave Haig a message from Mubarak to President Reagan. While the envoy, in making his statement, did not mention yesterday’s decision by the Israeli Cabinet that Mubarak would not be welcome if he did not go to Jerusalem, he referred to it indirectly.
“Egypt’s position on Israel’s annexation of (East) Jerusalem is well known,” Ghorbal said. “It is known to the Israelis, it is known to our American friends, it is known to the whole world. Mubarak apparently believes that if he visits Jerusalem it may appear that he is accepting Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem which would put Egypt further at odds with the rest of the Arab world.
However, Ghorbal stressed that Mubarak has accepted Premier Menachem Begin’s invitation to visit Israel and discussions are continuing over a “mutually convenient time.” The Egyptian envoy also noted Egypt’s “determination” to continue the peace process. “We are satisfied that relations between Israel and Egypt are moving ahead,” he said. “Normalization is continuing and progressing.”
Ghorbal stressed that the “peace process will continue after April with more vigor” because Israel’s final withdrawal from Sinai April 25 means “the removal of another psychological barrier” between the two countries.
He noted that the working committee on autonomy resumed talks in Cairo today and that Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali will be going to Israel soon to discuss normalization. Ghorbal said that among the items he discussed with Haig today was the “rising tension” along the Lebanese border. He expressed hope that “all sides will take the necessary steps toward removing the tension.”
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