Mubarak Leans on Netanyahu to Reach West Bank Deal

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to withdraw from more West Bank territory next week when Israeli and Palestinian leaders are to meet in London with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

It was the first meeting in more than a year between Netanyahu and Mubarak, whose relationship has been frosty. That this session occurred at all reflected the crucial phase the peace process is entering.

On Monday, Albright is to confer separately with Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to try to win acceptance for a U.S. proposal for a further redeployment by Israel from the West Bank, under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Tuesday that the London meeting will be the region’s “moment of truth.” U.S. officials in Washington last week suggested it was shaping up as a make-or-break event for further American participation in the 6-year-old peace process.

But the Israeli government, showing no sign of yielding, has been playing down the gravity of the meeting.

The U.S. plan has not been unveiled by President Clinton but has been widely reported in Israel and elsewhere: In exchange for security guarantees from the Palestinians, Washington wants an Israeli pullback from a further 13% of West Bank land, a figure reportedly already accepted by the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s Cabinet, however, has so far agreed to a maximum of 9%.

The 90-minute meeting between Mubarak and Netanyahu focused on the peace process, and there was no news conference afterward, reflecting their strained relations.

A statement issued later by Mubarak’s office said he had urged Netanyahu “to deal positively with the U.S. proposal, because it represents the minimum necessary to revive the peace process.” Mubarak also said that a positive Israeli view of the U.S. plan would put negotiations aimed at a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians on “solid ground” and would help restart Israeli talks with Syria and Lebanon.

After returning to Israel, Netanyahu indicated that he had taken a tough stance, saying Israel alone could not be asked to make concessions. “We stretch ourselves to the limit, beyond our limit,” he said. “We’re willing to be flexible in areas that are difficult for us, but . . . it cannot be that Israel is the only one that is asked to make compromises, and the other side is supposed to merely sit pretty and wait for those concessions to come forth.”

Netanyahu said he expected to be branded an obstacle to peace. “So what? I will do what I think is important to achieve a secure peace, a real peace, a defensible peace for Israel. Nothing will make me change that.”

Immediately after seeing off Netanyahu, Mubarak met with Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk, who reemphasized the importance the United States is putting on the London talks. “We’re very concerned about the consequences if we do not now achieve a breakthrough and put the process back on track,” Indyk said.

Israel has sought to downplay the sessions in Britain, with Netanyahu saying Monday, “We hope there will be progress, but I cannot guarantee that.”

Although Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace accord with Israel, relations between the two nations have deteriorated in the past two years. Mubarak has accused Netanyahu of breaking pledges that previous Israeli governments made to the Palestinians. Israel has complained of a lack of goodwill on the side of the Egyptians and suggested that Cairo encourages unrealistic demands by the Palestinians.

Times staff writer Rebecca Trounson in Jerusalem contributed to this report.