Alongside the Palestinian issue, Cairo may also step up efforts to end current Syrian-Jordanian tension, writes Magda El-Ghitany As part of its resolve to settle inter-Arab differences, Cairo attempted to schedule separate meetings between President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. But Al-Assad cancelled his trip a few hours before he was expected in Egypt, postponing mediation efforts to ease tension between Damascus and Amman. Trouble has been brewing since April when the Jordanian government arrested members of a Palestinian Islamist movement who allegedly claimed they were supported by an anonymous leader in Syria. Their assignment was to carry out attacks against Jordanian officials in Jordan, and smuggle weapons from Syria into Jordan. Syria dismissed all such allegations. Mubarak's talks with Abdullah in Sharm El-Sheikh aimed to reconcile viewpoints and both leaders agreed on "the need to unite Arab ranks", according to Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit. Egypt's top diplomat told a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Abdullah Al-Khatib that he "did not really believe there is a deep problem between Syria and Jordan". Hence, the leaders did not focus on Syrian-Jordanian relations but instead "extensively tackled the current Palestinian situation... and how to lead the Palestinians towards consensus to prevent any clashes," he said. But diplomats quoted in the daily Al-Masry Al-Yom attributed the cancellation of the meeting with Syria to the fact that "Cairo realised the depth of the Syrian-Jordanian row. Cairo realised it would be hard to reach any solution that appeals to both parties in the near future. Hence, the Egyptian-Syrian summit was rescheduled." Diplomats interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly, however, downplayed the scenario. "Egypt did not launch an initiative to act as a mediator between Syria and Jordan," a high-ranking diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "Mubarak and Abdullah tackled the issue [of tension] like any other topic under discussion. The Egyptian-Syrian summit may have also dealt with this issue, but it wasn't necessarily going to be the centre of talks." According to another diplomatic source, Syrian-Jordanian disputes are nothing new; their ties have always been sour. While there is no official Egyptian initiative to reconcile the two parties, the source added, Egypt is now determined to exert "every possible effort to settle Arab differences". Indeed, Mubarak met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday to talk about fractures within Palestinian ranks. After the meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Mubarak urged Palestinians to close ranks and unify their stance in order to enable them and the Israelis to return to the negotiating table. Mubarak's advice coincided with the beginning of crucial talks between Fatah and Hamas on a statehood document. If both parties reach a consensus on the document, which includes implicit recognition of Israel, it will not be subjected to a national referendum on a Palestinian state that Abbas had previously called for. Mubarak and Abbas also discussed the European Union's newly approved funding mechanism which allows the flow of around 100 million euros to healthcare and social services in the occupied territories, assistance which was severed after Hamas's surprising parliamentary election win in January. Although a "step forward", Abbas also described the new mechanism as "inadequate... because it cancels out the role of the government and of the Palestinian Authority." Abul-Gheit agreed that while it is a positive step, it is not enough because it "does not incorporate all the aid and has a limited time period".
