Sharon, Egyptian FM meet in Jerusalem

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Sharon, Egyptian FM meet in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on the Middle East peace process in Jerusalem on Monday.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on the Middle East peace process in Jerusalem on Monday.

It was the first visit paid by a top Egyptian diplomat to Israel in about three years, which was considered as part of Egypt's efforts to help restart talks on the stalled US-backed roadmap peace plan.

Maher said after the one-hour meeting that his visit was a precursor to a meeting between Sharon and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

For his part, Sharon said Israel's relations with Egypt and the Palestinian National Authority will be strengthened by Maher's visit.

Israel Army Radio reported that during the meeting they talked about a ceasefire with Palestinian militant groups. Sharon said Israel would not sign the deal, but would "respond to quiet with quiet."

Sharon also raised the situation of Israeli citizen Azzam Azzam,who has been imprisoned in Egypt for espionage for the past eight years, and Maher promised that he would convey the request to Mubarak, according to the report.

Later, Maher ran into talks with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom.

At a joint news conference after the meeting, Maher sai d he was very optimistic that the ceasefire talks would be successful and the roadmap could be revived.

"I come out from here encouraged, but the encouragement needs tobe followed up by actions," Maher said. "We hope to see actions from both sides as soon as possible."

Shalom thanked the Egyptian official for his visit to Israel.

He voiced happiness for the growing warmth in relations between Egypt and Israel, hoping that this new shift would positively affect bilateral economic, agricultural and trade ties.

"We will work to achieve positive results, create a peaceful atmosphere and entrench the culture of peace," Shalom said. "We hope that Egypt would use its leverage to promote peace in the region."

He revealed that the long-awaited meeting between Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qurei will take place within the coming few days.

Maher arrived in Jerusalem early on Monday for a one-day visit. He is also lined up to meet Israeli President Moshe Katsav and Israeli Labour Party leader Shimon Peres during the brief visit.

Maher will also tour the Temple Mount and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in eastern Jerusalem, which is the Muslims' third holiest shrine.

Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been playing a key mediating role in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflicts.

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