BERLIN, March 5 (NNN-KUNA) — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stressed here the necessity that indirect negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, due to last for four months, end in direct talks culminated by a final solution achieving peace.

Mubarak asserted after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the entity of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the mosques in the Palestinian city of Khalil (Hebron) should not be desecrated. Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem must also be protected, he stressed.

Mubarak, speaking at the joint news conference with Merkel Thursday, noted the great role played by Egypt in cooperation with the Palestinians, the Israelis and the European and US on efforts of establishing peace in the Middle East.

He also drew attention to the necessity of concluding the indirect negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians in a definite timeline in what leads to achieving peace.

Mubarak also called on Israel to stop settlement activities in the West Bank that has been occupied since 1967 — including Jerusalem.

As for his talks with Merkel, he said that they tackled the Iranian nuclear file, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other issues relative to the Middle East, pointing out that all such issues have major influence on the whole region and the world as a whole.

He went on to say that these talks touched upon the traditional bilateral relations with Germany in various fields including cooperation in renewable energy and investment.

Answering a question on the upcoming Egyptian presidential elections, Mubarak said that all Egyptians are heroes and that he does not oppose the nomination of the former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El-Baradei for the post of president.

Meanwhile, Merkel asserted that she supports the peace process in the Middle East and the achievement of the two-state solution represented in “Jewish state and a Palestinian one”, pointing out that there are continuous contacts with the Egyptian, Palestinian, Israeli and US sides in order to put an end to the conflict and achieve peace in the Middle East.

Answering a question on whether her country is going to recognise an independent Palestinian state, Merkel said that it is too early to talk about this as there are some matters that should be pointed out first including the demarcation of frontiers, the Jerusalem status and the security conditions, pointing out that Europe is greatly interested in supporting peace there.

She also noted that she will continue contacts with Egypt, the Palestinians, the Israelis and the Americans, especially in the coming months in order to push forward the peace process.

– NNN-KUNA

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