Egyptian officials have denied Israeli reports that Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak would visit Israel in the coming year, though reports left the option of a visit after that time.
Suleiman Awad, a spokesman for Mubarak, told reporters, "I can assure you that the president doesn't have any plans to go anywhere outside Egypt until the end of this year."
However, according to the AP, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom believes that the Egyptian president will most likely make the trip to neighboring Israel in November to attend a memorial ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the assassination of former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Israeli sources added however that Mubarak would most likely not visit Jerusalem or appear before Israel's parliament.
Despite doubt about the visit, Mubarak will nonetheless meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the end of September at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York City.
Israel has recently taken steps towards improving relations with several Muslim countries, meeting last week with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri to establish full diplomatic ties after renewing informal ties 18 months prior.
Shalom, who is himself Tunisian, is expected to visit Tunisia in November to improve ties between the two countries.
