While important, a European role is not enough to ensure peace in the region. Egypt will also seek the good offices of the US, writes Nevine Khalil After securing the support of two key European capitals on the need to forge ahead with the roadmap and quickly resolve the quagmire in Iraq, Egypt will take its case to Washington next week. Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher will arrive in the US on Sunday to attend and hold several meetings in New York, Washington DC, Chicago and Detroit. Arab foreign ministers will also hold an emergency meeting in New York on 22 September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. Maher's trip comes on the heels of a two-stop visit in Europe by President Hosni Mubarak earlier this week, where he was given endorsement by France and Italy -- the current president of the EU -- to bring stability to the Middle East as soon as possible. Embarking on the trip to Rome and France on 11 September, Mubarak was mostly concerned with the Palestinian government changing hands after the resignation of Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). His plan was to urge the Europeans to facilitate the job of the new Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qureih (Abu Alaa) to implement the roadmap. But hours after his arrival in Rome, the president's public statements shifted to the dangers of expelling or harming Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The switch occurred when Israel's security cabinet announced on 11 September its decision "on principle" to expel Arafat from the Palestinian territories. Later in the week, some Israeli officials went as far as suggesting the "liquidation" of Arafat altogether. "Expelling Arafat is a big mistake," Mubarak told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, shortly before Israel's decision was made public. "His expulsion could have serious ramifications such as an increase in violence and terrorism the world over." Mubarak added that Egypt would welcome Arafat if this "hugely erroneous decision" was implemented. To deflect any negative repercussions, Berlusconi would not comment on Israel's decision, only saying that "EU members have not had time to consult on this matter, and hence I cannot speak on behalf of the European Union." Berlusconi had refused to meet with Arafat during a visit to the Middle East in June. The day after the news conference, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini asked Israel "to avoid every action of force, and in particular, the expulsion of President Arafat", in a statement on Friday. Cairo was quick off the mark as soon as Israel announced its decision on Arafat. While in Rome, Mubarak sent an urgent message to US President George W Bush arguing against the Israeli decree, while Maher spoke with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to convey Egypt's concerns over the decision, urging Washington to intervene and prevent its implementation. Meanwhile, Egypt's Ambassador to Washington Nabil Fahmi spoke several times with US Assistant Secretary for Near East and North African Affairs William Burns to express "Egypt's strong condemnation of the Israeli decision". Fahmi told Burns that the US administration should "intervene to prevent Tel Aviv from following through on its decision to expel Arafat". Egypt's ambassador also spoke with Deputy National Security Adviser Steve Hadley to convey the same objections. The American officials, according to Fahmi, restated the US's opposition to the Israeli decision, despite the fact that Washington continues to refuse to have any dealings with Arafat. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said on Friday that Washington believes "it would not be helpful to expel [Arafat] because it would just give him another stage to play on." Mubarak told Le Figaro on Saturday that, "now is the best time for President Bush to interfere, or else we will lose the momentum forever." He added that once the presidential race begins in the US, "the Palestinian problem will no longer be a priority." Nonetheless, the Palestinians were pleased with Mubarak's mission in Europe; Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said on Saturday that Mubarak "spoke boldly in support of the Palestinian cause and President Arafat". In the Le Figaro interview, Mubarak described Israel's decision as "playing with fire" and "nothing could be more foolish". He argued that Arafat "is the only person who could convince the Palestinians of the required concessions to make the peace process succeed". Mubarak added that he disagreed with both the Americans and Israelis and their accusation that Arafat is not capable of making peace. "It is impossible to reach a settlement without Arafat." To the television channel France-3, Mubarak said on Sunday that "Arafat was a spiritual leader of the Palestinians, therefore we must deal with him in a rational way." He advised the Palestinians "not to place obstacles in the way of their new government which would give Israel a pretext to freeze the peace process." To the Israelis, Mubarak counselled them "to work on long term policies towards peace", noting that it was Tel Aviv which in fact encouraged the creation of the militant Palestinian faction, Hamas, to counter the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). In conclusion, he called on "all the countries responsible for world peace [to] pressure the two parties to implement their respective side of the bargain in the roadmap." In Rome, Mubarak urged the Palestinians and Israelis return to the negotiating table. "We cannot achieve any results without the serious and rational cooperation of both parties," Mubarak said with Berlusconi by his side. Berlusconi said that Europe "wants to be a strong player in the Quartet, and pressure the two parties until they return to the negotiating table". In fact, Rome proposed a meeting of the diplomatic Quartet -- which includes the US, EU, Russia and the UN -- on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session on 22 September. Italy has offered Sicily as a venue for any return to peace talks between the two sides, and is working to ensure that a so- called Marshall Plan would be on the table when negotiations resume. Italy has also suggested the holding of a Middle East peace conference before the end of the year, and sponsored another initiative regarding a conference on the reconstruction of the Palestinian territories. However, neither idea has caught on. While Berlusconi declined to comment on Arafat's possible expulsion, Italian President Carlo Ciampi was more bold when talking with Mubarak on Friday. Ciampi told reporters that he hoped "Israel would not follow through on its decision because this would increase tensions". Mubarak concurred at the joint news conference, and both presidents agreed that the roadmap is the only way to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. "The Quartet must begin its work immediately because the situation on the ground cannot withstand any hesitation," added Ciampi. Paris was much more solid in its condemnation of Israel. After discussing with French President Jacques Chirac several pressing issues in the region including Iraq, Mubarak told reporters on Monday outside the Elysée Palace that both leaders agreed that Arafat's expulsion was futile. "President Chirac believes that exiling Arafat or expelling him will serve no purpose," noted Mubarak. Asked if the US gave him any guarantees that Israel would not implement its decision, Mubarak said, "We don't take guarantees from the US because the US does not give any; this matter is in the hands of Israel." Mubarak was incredulous about Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's suggestion on Sunday that assassinating Arafat was an option, along with expulsion and isolation. "This is unheard of; it would be an unprecedented way to conduct [policy]," said Mubarak. "If everyone killed their enemy, chaos would break out in the world." Chirac's spokesperson Catherine Colonna told reporters that France believes that the cycle of violence must stop, that the Palestinians and Israelis must make progress on the roadmap, and that Paris supports a regional conference for peace. As expected, Cairo and Paris also saw eye-to-eye on the issue of Iraq and the pressing need to hand over power to the Iraqi people as soon as possible. "The [US] mindset in Iraq should alter from one of security to a politic outlook," said Colonna. On Iraq, Mubarak told Le Figaro that Egypt would never send troops to keep the peace there. "I would never send Egyptian troops, even if their presence was sanctioned by the UN Security Council," he said. "If Iraqi demonstrators refused to obey to the orders of the Egyptian troops, should they shoot them?" In the France-3 interview, he reiterated that, "the only solution for the problem of Iraq is for the Iraqi people to take charge of their country." He also criticised the fact that the US "does not understand the psychology and character" of the people of Iraq. According to Mubarak, the battles and instability in the Middle East are very likely to spawn terror across the globe. "The only way to prevent that is to achieve a just peace," he told France-3. "As long as there is injustice, there will be terrorism."
