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Cairo: Israel urged to resolve dispute over Jerusalem

Israeli President Shimon Peres (left) and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak talk during a press conference Sunday at the Presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. The two met for talks aimed at reviving the Middle East peace process. Amr Nabil / Associated Press

By Associated Press
Published: 11/23/2009 2:29 AM
Last Modified: 11/23/2009 6:07 AM

Israel will anger all Muslims if it does not resolve Jerusalem's disputed status, Egypt's president warned his Israeli counterpart on Sunday.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak emphasized to Israeli President Shimon Peres that the future of Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, is an issue for the entire Islamic world.

Mubarak also said that the time had passed for talk on temporary solutions and borders — which had been floated as a step to solving the crisis — and instead a final solution should be concluded swiftly.

"I expressed my concern to President Peres that peace talks have not progressed since our last meeting in July and that Egypt is looking forward to an Israeli response, such as halting the building of settlements in east Jerusalem," he said.

The Palestinians have refused to restart peace talks if there isn't a total halt in Israeli settlement building, something Israel has not agreed to.

Peres told reporters that Israel is not expanding settlements and once negotiations began all the outstanding differences would be resolved.

"The minute we shall start to negotiate, there won't be more settlements, new settlements. There won't be confiscation of land," he said. "There will be no financial investment in new settlements. There will be a dismantling of the settlements that were established without authorization."

Egypt was the first Arab nation to conclude a peace deal with Israel.

While relations have never been warm, Egypt has been a key mediator in Israel's relations with the Palestinians, especially the militant group Hamas.

Relations between the countries have deteriorated in recent months, however, as Egypt has protested Israel's refusal to freeze its settlement building.

Peres was in Cairo on Sunday to help repair ties and clear the way for a resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians. By Associated Press

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