Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accepted an invitation to attend the start of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Washington next month, a newspaper reported on Saturday. "President Mubarak welcomed the Quartet's statement and confirmed his acceptance of President Barack Obama's invitation to participate in the launch of direct talks" at the outset of September, the Al-Ahram daily reported.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II to the launch of the first direct talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders since December 2008. The Jordanian monarch is yet to convey his response.
