While plenty of obstacles still stand in the way of fully re-normalised Egyptian-Israeli relations, a new rapport between Cairo and Tel Aviv seems to have emerged, writes Dina Ezzat When the diplomatic Quartet (US, Russia, the EU and the UN) meets in Taba today, the Egyptian initiative to broker a clean Israeli withdrawal from Gaza will be high on the agenda. The initiative, after all, appears to be the best hope at present for an exit from what appears to be a permanent impasse in the Middle East peace process. Prior to today's meetings, Quartet ambassadors held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman. While the focus of the Egyptian-Quartet talks centred on the steps that might take place over the next few days, the meetings also touched on the overall nature of Arab-Israeli relations. The US- Egyptian meeting, sources said, paid particular attention to Egyptian-Israeli relations. Suleiman, meanwhile, was in Ramallah and Tel Aviv yesterday for talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon regarding guarantees Egypt wants from both sides before it begins to send its security officers to the Egypt-Gaza border, and within Gaza itself, to facilitate Israel's withdrawal. Sources said Suleiman was seeking concrete guarantees from each side. From the Palestinians, he wants Arafat's unequivocal commitment that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei will be authorised to operate a powerful Palestinian security force meant to prevent any Palestinian attacks on civilian Israeli targets. He also wants Arafat's commitment that Palestinian factions will not be encouraged by the Palestinian Authority's (PA) political machinery to embark upon confrontations with Egyptian security officials. A statement issued Monday by ten Palestinian political factions to declare opposition to Egyptian interference in Gaza in the framework of the planned Israeli withdrawal will be subject to serious Egyptian-Palestinian talks. Egyptian officials are not hiding concern over threats made by some Palestinian factions to target Egyptian security officials. On Tuesday, Maher said that Egypt was confident that no Palestinian would attempt to harm an Egyptian who goes to Gaza to help get the Israelis out. A senior Egyptian diplomat told Al- Ahram Weekly that Egypt was certainly "aware of the threats being made by some Palestinian factions against the Egyptian security officials we are planning to send to Gaza, but we also know that it is the PA's responsibility to make sure that this does not occur." The guarantees Suleiman is seeking to obtain from the Israeli side include a confirmation that the Israeli withdrawal will be orderly and complete, devoid of any further military confrontations with the Palestinians, and with no digging of trenches on the borders between Egypt and Gaza, as the Israeli government has been planning. Suleiman also wants a clear cut Israeli promise that it will neither attack Gaza, nor Egyptian security officials in Gaza, for as long as Egypt maintains its presence there. Sources also suggested that Suleiman would be offering both sides carrots as well. For the Palestinians, he is hoping to secure "some sort of deal that involves giving Arafat freedom of movement". As for the Israelis, Suleiman may revive hopes of sending an Egyptian ambassador back to Israel "as soon as the situation on the ground improves in a manner that can be solidly felt by the Palestinians, and clearly recognised by the Egyptians." While informed sources indicated the deal might be inked on paper, doubts would still linger over whether or not Israel and the PA will honour their commitments on the ground. One source said although Egypt may have a few doubts about Arafat's mood swings and the possible ways he might react to no longer being fully in control, Cairo is much more wary of Israel. After all, last year's Egypt-brokered Palestinian- Israeli truce was short-lived due to Israeli violations. Nevertheless, for now, Egypt seems determined to put aside its misgivings as it acts to secure as clean an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as possible. Last week, President Hosni Mubarak stressed Egypt's commitment to its efforts to make sure that the Israeli withdrawal takes place in a way that helps the Palestinian Authority regain its prerogatives there, and helps revive a peace process based on the roadmap's terms of reference at the same time. Suleiman is heading for Washington in July to garner US support for this effort. In the US, Egyptian officials said, Suleiman will not only be addressing Egyptian efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian front, but also Egypt's perspective on its future relations with Israel. Egypt was recently criticised in the US Congress for failing to activate its peace with Israel. "Our stance is clear," Maher said recently. "We want good relations with Israel. We pursued peace 25 years ago because we thought this is the right thing to do. And today we are still keen to work on our relations with Israel, but we believe that for this to happen Israel has to reconsider its attitudes towards the Palestinians. When things start walking in the direction of peace, this will be reflected on Egyptian-Israeli relations." Egypt's decision to pull its ambassador from Tel Aviv over three years ago, one diplomat said, "was simply unavoidable. The Israelis left us no choice with their invasion of Gaza". In Cairo's view, the limited Egyptian diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv has not been a handicap to Egyptian-Israeli contacts. "Less than two weeks ago," commented one Egyptian official, "Mubarak received Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and the meeting took place at the president's residence." Egyptian officials also said telephone contacts between Cairo and Tel Aviv were quite active at present, and that Cairo has not been putting pressure on businessmen or anyone else to slow down relations with Israel. In fact, Egypt and Israel just launched (are pondering over the wisdom of operating) a bilateral committee that will be in charge of the economic and political aspects of the generally cold ties between Cairo and Tel Aviv. The committee's agenda includes discussions on the establishment of Qualified Industrial Zones between Egypt and Israel, which would help Egypt win easier access to free trade with the US. Egyptian natural gas exports to Israel, Israeli concerns about the image of Israelis and Jews in the Egyptian press, and the fate of Israeli spy Azzam Azzam, serving a life sentence in Egypt, are also on the list. The committee's schedule of meetings has yet to be set. The presence of an Egyptian ambassador in Israel will also be discussed. Earlier this month, Egyptian officials indicated that several candidates have been considered for the job. Sources speaking to the Weekly on Tuesday, however, said the situation is currently too uncertain for an Egyptian decision on this matter. The previous Egyptian ambassador, Mohamed Bassiouni, was a high-ranking Egyptian intelligence officer who was recruited by the diplomatic corps. While some of the current candidates have similar backgrounds, others are career diplomats. An Egyptian official said Cairo would be closely monitoring the situation on the ground in the "coming weeks and months [of the Israeli withdrawal], and will make a decision on that basis. It's too early to say a decision has been taken, but it is also unwise to exclude the possibilities." Cairo's decision, sources said, may also stem from a desire to win over Israeli public opinion at a very crucial moment in Middle Eastern and Israeli politics. It might also indirectly provide a boost to Egyptian-American relations, at a time when the US administration seems overly convinced by Israel's take on the region's situation. Following talks with Shalom in Cairo earlier this month, Senior Presidential Political Adviser Osama El-Baz said, "we will not hesitate to make any move that would contribute to the peace, including reinstating the ambassador." For now, however, Egypt is focussing on Gaza. Egyptian and Israeli officials are working out the details of how the borders between Egypt and Gaza will be secured, as well as the security measures Egypt will take to prevent any possible arms smuggling from Egypt to Gaza. Egypt is also using its diplomatic relations with the European Union and the US to pressure Israel to commit to the peace plan, with the possible return of an Egyptian ambassador as a potential reward. While Israeli officials like Shalom have suggested that Egypt has already made a strategic decision to improve its ties with Israel, Egyptian sources argued that the pace of warmer ties would not just be determined by the government's strategic interests. Egyptian public opinion, which may not necessarily favour such a move, will have its influence to bear, as will the effect a return to full diplomatic relations might have on Cairo's relations with other Arab capitals. The one thing Egyptian officials are sure of is that Egypt is pursuing its own interests and will not be giving away anything for free.
