The burden is on both Israel and the Palestinians to end spiraling violence in their region, U.S. vice president Richard Cheney said Wednesday after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mubarak also told a joint news conference with Cheney that he believes Iraq's Saddam Hussein is close to agreeing to allow the return of United Nations weapons inspectors, although he gave no details. He cautioned against U.S. plans to use military force against Iraq, adding all diplomatic channels should be exhausted first.
"We will try hard with Saddam Hussein to (make him) accept the UN inspectors ... and we are going to meet with some of his special envoys and tell them that this is a must," Mubarak said.
"I think the Secretary General of the Arab League (Amr Mussa) discussed this issue when he was visiting Iraq a couple of weeks ago, and I think he had approval from Saddam Hussein that he could start negotiations with the UN Secretary General" Kofi Annan, Mubarak said.
"We will try in this direction as far as we can. Then after that, if there is nothing happening, we'll find out what could be done in that direction."
Mubarak and Cheney met as the cycle of violence between Israel and the Palestinian increased. Both The two condemned the rise in violence, reported AP.
"It's not going to be possible to make progress until both parties can agree to a ceasefire and to get into the Tenet and the Mitchell plans, and so I think obviously the burden resides on both parties," Cheney said, further emphasizing a recent shift in U.S. policy away from mostly blaming the violence on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Cheney was asked whether the United States felt the burden for restoring peace had shifted over the past few days from Arafat to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Cheney also praised Tuesday's UN resolution calling for establishment of a Palestinian state. That confirms President George W. Bush's vision of "two sovereign states able to reside in peace with one another," Cheney said.
Cheney said that U.S. leaders "plan to do everything we can to persuade both parties it's time for the violence to end."
"We appreciate Egypt's leadership on behalf of peace in the Middle East. President Mubarak has been unfaltering in his dedication to getting all parties back to the negotiating table, and back on the path toward peace," he added.
Mubarak said he and Cheney agreed that extensive efforts are needed to get the derailed peace process back on track."
Earlier Wednesday, Cheney told US soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula that Washington's next objective is to prevent terrorists and terror-backing regimes from threatening the United States or its allies with weapons of mass destruction.
(Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
