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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Netanyahu and Mubarak agree: Mideast peace requires cooperation from all sides

(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday agreed that Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab world and the international community must all do their part to help advance the Middle East peace process, the Prime Minister's Bureau said in a statement.

The two leaders met in Cairo to discuss progress in the region, amid speculation that a deal to free abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit would top their agenda.

The meeting was closed to the press, and Egypt's official Middle East News Agency reported only that the two had met at Mubarak's residence, and that they had "discussed the peace process, specifically the Palestinian track."

Netanyahu met Mubarak over "iftar," the meal ending the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that was also attended by Egypt's intelligence supremo Omar Suleiman, before returning to Jerusalem.

Mubarak "called on Israel to stop all settlement activity, including 'natural growth' settlements," presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said.

The president "also urged (Israel) to stop attempts to judaize Jerusalem, warning of the dangerous consequences to peace efforts and highlighting the sensitivity of the Jerusalem issue to the Arab and Islamic worlds," Awad said.