US President Bill Clinton will be ready to attend a summit meeting proposed by Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak to revive the Middle East peace process, the White House announced Thursday.
"If there were a summit, the president would be prepared to be a party," said a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity.
The announcement came hours after Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak called for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations and invited Israel, the Palestinians and United States to a summit once the violence has stopped.
But the US official sought to dampen expectations that such an international gathering was in the offing.
"To think that you can go from where we are right back into peacemaking is simply not realistic," the official pointed out.
As Palestinian violence was sweeping the West Bank and Israeli helicopter gunships were pounding Palestinian targets, Clinton held another round of telephone diplomacy in his effort to restore stability in the region.
The US president had telephone conversations with Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Jordan's King Abdullah, according to White House officials, who did no disclose the contents of the talks.
A visibly concerned Clinton also called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.
"I call on both sides to undertake a ceasefire immediately and immediately to condemn all acts of violence," Clinton told reporters at the White House. "Now is the time to stop the bloodshed."
He refrained from directly criticizing Israel's attacks on Palestinian targets launched in response to the lynching of three Israeli soldiers by a Palestinian mob.
"While I understand the anguish the Palestinians feel over the losses they have suffered, there can be no possible justification for mob violence," the president said.
Washington's ambassador to the United Nations, meanwhile, was trying to block any bid to bring up the Middle East crisis in the United Nations Security Council.
"We will oppose any move to bring it back into the Security Council," Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said.
He was talking to reporters after the Palestinian observer to the UN, Nasser Al-Kidwa, requested an emergency meeting to demand an immediate end to the use of force by Israel.
The UN Security Council agreed to delay a decision on the matter at least until Monday, council president announced.
US Vice President Al Gore meanwhile broke off a campaign swing to return to Washington to meet Clinton and National Security officials on the crisis – WASHINGTON (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
