Following his yesterday's talks with the US Middle East Peace Envoy George Mitchell, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit said the US side strongly insisted on achieving the two-state solution, establishing a Palestinian state and freezing the Israeli settlement in the Palestinian territories. This is the main solution to push the peace efforts. Minister Abul-Gheit said the talks focused on means and ways of making a US real and serious effort to achieve peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and pushing forward the peace efforts in the region within the framework of US President Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University on June 4. Talks aimed to cure the defects in the peace process over the recent years. The US envoy outlined his point of view to the Egyptian side and told it what the US intends to do soon. Cairo welcomes the US talks and efforts, Abul-Gheit said. In response to a question about Egypt's stance towards the US demands that there should be additional responsibilities to the Arab states in return for the peace process with Israel, Abul Gheit said: "Israel should completely freeze settlements in the Palestinian territories and return to the pre-intifada situation in September 2000. If we see serious and real Israeli steps, we think that Arab parties will also be ready to return to the situation existing before 2000. "If the peace process moves forward, Egypt will not be against... Arab acts to encourage the Israeli side to advance still further on the path of peace." Mitchell held high-level talks with Abul-Gheit and Omar Suleiman, Chief of Egypt's intelligence. He held another meeting with the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. Mitchell reiterated Washington's position that a Palestinian state was the only viable answer to the Middle East conflict. He added: "We are working hard to achieve our objective, a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, including a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel," Mitchell told reporters."
