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Peres, Mubarak call for direct peace talks
CAIRO, Egypt and Israel's presidents Sunday called to engage in direct peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible at the outset of a meeting in Cairo.
Israel and the Palestinians must embark on direct peace talks and not waste the window of opportunity that has opened before them, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and visiting Israel President Shimon Peres said during a two hour work meeting.
At the outset of the meeting, Peres told Mubarak that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is keen to start direct talks with the Palestinians immediately in an effort to reach a signed agreement based on a two-state solution, Peres' office said in a statement.
Peres thanked Mubarak for maintaining a strong stand in the midst of extremists seeking to torpedo the peace process and said: "Israeli and Egyptian mothers and sons owe you a debt of gratitude. Israel respects and recognizes your efforts to maintain calm and stability in the Middle East, as well as your efforts to secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit."
Peres' office said the two also discussed the Iranian nuclear threat and the recent sanctions imposed on Iran, efforts made to release Shalit and other issues aimed at strengthening the strategic ties between the two countries.
Egyptian intelligence head Gen. Omar Suleiman and Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also met with Peres' military attaché Brig.Gen. Hasson Hasson, and agreed to establish a joint team to search for Israeli soldiers missing in action in Egypt since the Yom Kippur War, Peres' office said.
CAIRO, Egypt and Israel's presidents Sunday called to engage in direct peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible at the outset of a meeting in Cairo.
Israel and the Palestinians must embark on direct peace talks and not waste the window of opportunity that has opened before them, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and visiting Israel President Shimon Peres said during a two hour work meeting.
At the outset of the meeting, Peres told Mubarak that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is keen to start direct talks with the Palestinians immediately in an effort to reach a signed agreement based on a two-state solution, Peres' office said in a statement.
Peres thanked Mubarak for maintaining a strong stand in the midst of extremists seeking to torpedo the peace process and said: "Israeli and Egyptian mothers and sons owe you a debt of gratitude. Israel respects and recognizes your efforts to maintain calm and stability in the Middle East, as well as your efforts to secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit."
Peres' office said the two also discussed the Iranian nuclear threat and the recent sanctions imposed on Iran, efforts made to release Shalit and other issues aimed at strengthening the strategic ties between the two countries.
Egyptian intelligence head Gen. Omar Suleiman and Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also met with Peres' military attaché Brig.Gen. Hasson Hasson, and agreed to establish a joint team to search for Israeli soldiers missing in action in Egypt since the Yom Kippur War, Peres' office said.