Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said in comments published on Thursday that peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before the end of 2008 is unlikely. "The Palestinian scenario is becoming more complicated every day despite seven months passing since the Annapolis conference," Abul Gheit said was quoted as saying in the state-owned Al-Ahram daily.
"There are no real signs of any breakthrough that would allow reaching a final peace deal before the end of the year," Abul Gheit said in a speech to mark 60 years of the Naqba or "catastrophe" of the creation of Israel.
Some 100 people held a demonstration in central Cairo to observe the anniversary of the Naqba, AFP reported. The demonstrators gathered outside the Journalists' Syndicate, waving banners reading "The liberation of Palestine is a sacred duty" and celebrating "60 years of resistance" amid a heavy security presence.
