Egypt to U.S.: Pressure Israel to Make Peace With Arabs : Diplomacy: Bush makes no promises after meeting with Cairo official. But Baker and Soviets declare commitment to working toward Mideast peace.

President Bush met with Egypt’s foreign minister Tuesday as Egypt pushed for a U.S. commitment to apply pressure on Israel for a settlement with the Palestinians once the Persian Gulf War has ended.

Later in the day, Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Soviet Foreign Minister Alexander A. Bessmertnykh issued a joint statement in which the two nations promised to work jointly to end Arab-Israeli conflict after the Gulf War. But Bush made no firm commitment in his meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Esmat Abdel Meguid to put pressure on the Israelis, officials indicated.

The behind-the-scenes lobbying by Egypt is among the clearest examples so far of the international jostling that has developed as nations maneuver to extract advantage from the unfolding war.

Earlier, Egypt and other Arab nations in the U.S.-led coalition were convinced their participation would put them in an advantageous position at war’s end. Arab officials believed that their cooperation would open the way for the Bush Administration to step up pressure on Israel to agree to a Middle East peace conference or some other peace plan.

But over the last week, as Scud missiles have rained down on Tel Aviv and Haifa and as U.S. troops have been dispatched for the first time to help defend Israel, Israeli officials have made no secret that they believe the restraint they have shown in not retaliating against Iraq has turned the tables. The American public now appears more sympathetic to the dangers Israel faces, and the Administration now feels in Israel’s debt.

That sentiment has caused alarm in Arab capitals, adding urgency to Meguid’s mission.

“In the post-crisis period, the nations that stood solidly with the United States would be under immense pressure if we did not move quickly to solve the Israeli-Palestinian situation,” said an Arab source familiar with the talks.

In the eyes of Arab public opinion, “we would be agents of imperialism who brought down the great martyr--as he will have become by then--Saddam Hussein,” the source said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Bush, Meguid praised the “strong relationship between Egypt and the United States” and said he had delivered a letter from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Bush and had picked up a response to take back to Cairo. He declined to reveal the contents of either message.

“In the aftermath of the crisis, I hope we can devote our energy to find a solution to the Palestinian problem,” Meguid said.

“The Palestinian problem is still the core of the Middle East question,” he said, and solving it would be “in the interest of Israel” and all other parties in the region.

In contrast to the eagerness of Middle Eastern leaders to talk about postwar arrangements, the Administration--trying to walk an increasingly thin line between placating both Arab allies and Israel--has sought to avoid talking much about the subject in public.

In keeping with that approach, Administration officials downplayed the political aspects of the Meguid-Bush talks, emphasizing economics, instead, and offering words of praise for Mubarak.

Bush, for example, during a photo opportunity with Meguid, lavishly praised Mubarak for “strong, wonderful leadership” in the anti-Iraq coalition.

“It’s been miraculous--a strong, wonderful leadership coming out of Egypt, and we are very grateful,” Bush said. “I’m very happy that I can say that here from the bottom of my heart.”

On the economic front, the United States and Saudi Arabia have written off billions of dollars of debts owed by Egypt, and the Egyptians are now seeking new loans from the International Monetary Fund. Meguid asked the Administration for help in obtaining the aid on favorable terms, said one U.S. official. There, too, the official said, Bush offered no specific commitment.

But although Egypt’s ever-ailing economy was a topic of the talks, it is the future of the Middle East peace process after the war that is the top concern for Mubarak and other Arab leaders.

“Every day that passes, every CNN interview with Saddam Hussein” causes internal problems in Egypt, the Arab source said. Hussein “appears to be standing up to the strongest power on Earth. This kind of thing appeals to people in the Arab world because the Arabs have been frustrated by the West for years. Anyone who stands up to the West is a hero. He is a rogue, he is a devil, he is a Satan, but he is standing up to the West.”