TRIPOLI, Libya: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday discussed the conflicts in Iraq and Sudan, the Iranian nuclear standoff and the situation in the Palestinian territories, an Egyptian envoy said. & Mubarak held talks with Gadhafi in the Libyan Mediterranean port city of Misratah on Tuesday before returning to Egypt later in the day. The visit followed Mubarak s recent tour of Arab Gulf states to discuss plans for next month s Arab summit in Sudan. The pair discussed the situation in Sudan s troubled Darfur region and the importance of working to solve the problem within the framework of the African Union and away from foreign interventions, said Egyptian ambassador to Libya, Mohammed Tahtawi. The leaders also discussed Iraq and the recent signs of sedition that have begun to appear among Muslims as well as the importance of helping Iraqis form a government that represents all groups, Tahtawi told The Associated Press in a phone interview. At least 379 people have been killed in Iraq and 458 wounded in a series of attacks targeting that war-ravaged country s Shiite and Sunni communities since bombers blew apart the gold dome of the revered Shiite Askariya shrine in Samarra on Wednesday. Gadhafi and Mubarak also discussed the pressure on the Palestinian Authority, which faces the threat of having foreign aid withheld over the recent election win of the militant Hamas movement, and the necessity of supporting the Palestinian people in the coming period, Tahtawi added. In an interview given to Egyptian newspaper editors, Mubarak said he had advised Israeli officials to accept the Hamas win and to not to freeze Palestinian money because it could turn Palestinians toward terrorism. Mubarak and Gadhafi talked about the Iranian nuclear portfolio, agreeing that the Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction, the ambassador added. The Al-Gomhouria daily newspaper quoted Mubarak as saying he had advised U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney against attacking Iran because it would cause more chaos in the Middle East. Washington accuses Iran of trying to build atomic bombs, but Iran denies the claim and says it is pursuing peaceful nuclear energy-generating technology. Egyptian news reports also said Egypt is interested in hosting presidential consultative meetings of Arab leaders separately to the annual Arab summit do discuss key matters if the need arises. The Egyptian and Libyan leaders are influential political figures in the Middle East and North African regions. Mubarak has long enjoyed close relations with the West, while Gadhafi has started shedding his reputation as an international pariah after his country agreed to paycompensation to victims of past terror attacks linked to Libya s regime. AP
