CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday discussed the situation in the Middle East including the increased strife among Palestinians during a visit with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Egyptian capital. Mubarak s spokesman, Suleiman Awad, said after the meeting that the talks concentrated on the situation in the Palestinian territories, which has seen increasing internal violence between the ruling Hamas. Mubarak expressed regret for Sunday s clashes in Gaza between the ruling Hamas movement and groups loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas that left at least seven people dead, Awad said, according to the Middle East News Agency. Internal Palestinian fighting is a red line that should never be crossed, Awad quoted Mubarak as saying. Abdullah, who arrived in the afternoon, left Cairo after he and Mubarak had iftar, the sunset meal that breaks the daylight fast of Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. Egypt s state-owned Al-Ahram daily newspaper reported on Friday that unnamed Arab diplomats in Cairo said Washington was trying to persuade moderate Arab states to put more pressure on Hamas to work with Abbas to resume peace talks with Israel. The Islamic group Hamas dominates the Palestinian Cabinet and holds a majority in the legislature. Egypt and Jordan are two of Israel s Arab neighbors that signed peace treaties and have full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. Both countries also are close allies of the United States. Abdullah s visit comes two days before U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Egypt where she is expected to meet eight Arab foreign ministers in an effort to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.
