Rabin, Mubarak Disagree Over Arab Delegation
Israel’s defense minister told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today that Israel would accept an Egyptian-sponsored dialogue with Palestinians, but the two leaders disagreed on the composition of the Arab delegation.
Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Mubarak aired their disagreement publicly after meeting in Cairo for more than three hours.
At a news conference, Rabin said Israel advocates negotiations only with Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel since 1967. At a separate news conference, Mubarak insisted that Palestinians from outside the territories be included as well.
But both leaders voiced cautious optimism about the current Israeli-Egyptian exchanges on a scenario for overall settlement of the Palestinian problem, which has kept the Middle East in turmoil for four decades.
They said their two countries will have further high-level talks.
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