Israeli Foreign Minister Peres and his Cairo hosts agreed that violence will not lead to Israeli-Palestinian peace. They agreed on little else, reports Nevine Khalil Click to view caption Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was in Cairo on Monday for meetings with President Hosni Mubarak, as well as leading Egyptian political analysts. The former Labour Party leader believed to be a 'dove' in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, however, did little more than "exchange notes and air differences" with Egyptian officials during his quick visit. Peres -- who was last in Egypt more than a year ago -- is the second top Israeli official to visit Egypt in less than a month, following on the heels of Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer, who also met with Mubarak. Egypt has chosen to keep speaking with Israeli officials despite the belief that it is Israel's "hostile policies" which have resulted in this crisis, according to Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher. "Everyone knows that it is Israel which is blocking attempts at a political settlement," Maher had said ahead of Peres' visit. For three hours on Monday, Mubarak and Peres discussed ways to break the current stalemate. Despite the cordial joint news conference between Maher and his Israeli counterpart afterwards, it was obvious that differences in perspectives remain set in stone. Among these are Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's political future, Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories and Israel's use of excessive force against the Palestinians. "We have differences in assessing the situation, and the root causes of what is prevailing now," Maher explained. The discord between Cairo and Tel Aviv was brought into sharp focus when Maher responded to Peres' statement that the Palestinian leadership does not have "an address" because the Palestinians "are being mis-governed by 12 different armed groups, each shooting in a different direction", by saying, "if the Israeli government doesn't know the address of the Palestinian [leadership], I can give it to them. The address is Chairman Arafat who is the democratically- elected leader of the Palestinians." Despite the banter both Maher and Peres did agree that force would not solve the conflict. "The key is a political solution," said Maher. "Only through negotiations can peace and security be achieved." Peres concurred: "I agree that the solution can be and must be a political one," adding that, "Israel needs to make humanitarian and economic conditions [for the Palestinians] by far much better." He also admitted that his government has thus far been unable to deliver on its promise of providing security for the Israeli people, despite the clampdown on the Palestinian territories. "We are unable to control [the violence], the ones who should control it are the Palestinians," Peres said. After the meeting with Peres, Mubarak told the Israeli press that his recipe for salvaging the peace process involved both sides beginning to build trust as soon as possible, and coming to the negotiating table to discuss issues "frankly and logically". He added that Israel's current policies are faulty and that officials in Sharon's government should reassess their course of action "since reality has proven that using force has failed and will not resolve the deteriorating situation". At the same time, Mubarak noted that peace initiatives are hollow if Israel does not honour the agreements it signs. "We want initiatives that can be implemented on solid ground. We shouldn't waste time," Mubarak said, opining that the Palestinians would not give up the rights that they have fought for, for over 50 years. They "are willing to fight for them for another 50 years if they have to," the Egyptian president said. Mubarak said that Sharon does not have a clear peace plan and that this hinders the possibility of a breakthrough; he also blamed Sharon for US President George W Bush's distrustful view of Arafat. "Sharon's propaganda against Arafat is an obstacle" for progress, noted Mubarak. Mubarak also defended Arafat in the face of accusations that he is not doing enough to stop the violence. "How can he work?" asked Mubarak, since he and the Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatus are under siege and attack. Neither Arafat nor Sharon "trust or like" each other, Mubarak said. Nonetheless, "the leaders should stop attacking each other and sit together and talk [because] their people are paying the price." Maher, meanwhile, made clear that when it came to negotiations, Arafat will "choose negotiators who will negotiate in his name, but he will be the one who takes the ultimate decisions. It is important to recognise that." In an interview with Nile TV, Peres said that it is not Israel's job to "appoint or fire Palestinian leaders", but added that Arafat has brought this crisis onto himself because "he did not stop terror". At the same time, the top Israeli diplomat also admitted that Israel's attack on a housing complex in Gaza on 22 July was "a mistake" and that carrying out collective punishment against the Palestinians was unacceptable. "We have to see how to improve economic and humanitarian conditions," said Peres, asserting that the Palestinians and Israelis will "definitely" eventually find peace despite the "difficulties, disappointments, aggression and wasted time. I don't know any other alternative for the Palestinian people, state of Israel, Middle East and Arab world but to arrive at peace". The Israeli foreign minister said he wanted Egypt to play a "major role" in peacemaking in the region because "I can hardly imagine reaching agreement without the intervention and support of President Mubarak on many very difficult issues." Maher indicated that the talks "clarified many points and it is clear that everyone knows exactly where the other stands". Now, said Maher, "we will try to fill in the blanks which appeared in our differences."
