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Bush Urges Mubarak to Curb Middle East Violence

Deborah Tate, Voice of America
April 2, 2001

President Bush has urged Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak to use his influence in the region to encourage Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to end the violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

President Bush has signaled that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat bears most of the responsibility for ending the violence that has been ongoing since September.

Mr. Bush, who has so far refused to schedule a meeting with Mr. Arafat, gave no indication he was backing down from that position during his meeting Monday with the Egyptian president.

A senior U.S. official told reporters Mr. Bush pressed Mr. Mubarak to persuade Mr. Arafat to end the bloodshed so that peace talks can resume. The Egyptian president wields much influence in the region as the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel and leader of the most populous Arab nation.

The U.S. official said Mr. Mubarak, in turn, urged Mr. Bush to use his influence with the Israelis to urge them to use restraint.

The White House meeting took place as fighting continued in the West Bank and Gaza.

Appearing before reporters with the Egyptian President, Mr. Bush assured him the United States would have a role to play in the search for peace in the Middle East. "The role for strong countries like ourselves and Egypt is to encourage, first, the violence to end, and, secondly, for discussions to begin again. And I am very optimistic and hopeful that we will be able to achieve that," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Bush noted that Secretary of State Colin Powell called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon earlier in the day. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Mr. Powell and Mr. Sharon discussed the steps the parties need to take to re-establish calm and resume direct discussions.

Mr. Mubarak, the first Arab leader to meet with Mr. Bush at the White House, had expressed concern about the U.S. president's plan to be less actively involved with the parties than his predecessor President Clinton. On Monday, the Egyptian leader said he hoped Mr. Bush would do his utmost to move the peace process forward. "We have great hopes President Bush will do the maximum effort for that so as to reach a lessening of the tension and resume negotiations, which is vitally important," Mr. Mubarak said.

Mr. Bush again underscored the United States would not try to force a settlement on the parties, but would act as a facilitator between them.

U.S. officials say Mr. Bush urged Mr. Mubarak to return Egypt's Ambassador Mohammed Bassiouni to his post in Israel so that he can have more say in peace efforts. Mr. Mubarak withdrew the ambassador in November and said he would not send him back until talks resumed between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr. Bush's meeting with Mr. Mubarak came two weeks after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and just over one week before he sees Jordan's King Abdullah.

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