Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held talks Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the first high-level discussion between Israel and the Arab world on an Arab proposal calling for an exchange of land for peace.
Israel has expressed reservations over many of its provisions, including the initiative's call for a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Livni and Mubarak held talks at the presidential palace in Cairo. According to the AP, Livni was to meet afterward with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Ilah al-Khatib. Arab TV Al-Jazeera reported that Livni was also expected to contact Omar Suleiman, Egypt's intelligence chief, who is in charge of the Palestinian portfolio.
The Arab initiative calls for full Arab recognition of Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in the 1967 War and the creation of a Palestinian state. It also calls for a ''just solution'' to the issue of Palestinian refugees.
