Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned yesterday during his meeting with Tony Blair of the negative ramifications in the whole region if the international peace conference fails. The spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency Suleiman Awwad said: Mubarak informed Blair on the need to prepare well for the conference and to activate the preparation process for this conference. The Egyptian President stressed that the meeting needs to have a clear agenda and clear terms of reference and a clear vision on concrete results to come out from the meeting and to be announced so that they can make a breakthrough on the basic issues and the final status of the Palestinian lands. Mubarak warned that the meeting must not be another wasted opportunity to be added to all the opportunities that were missed in the past. The Egyptian President stressed that the meeting should lead to setting clear principles for a just and comprehensive peace in order to avoid negative ramifications that can affect the entire region and in order to avoid feelings of anger and frustration and to avoid the escalation of forces of extremism in the region and outside the region. The international peace conference was the focus of the talks Mubarak held later with Italian FM Dalima and Jordanian King Abdullah II. Egyptian FM Abdul Gheit held a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart and said: President Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II expressed hope to see the conference come out with something new and achieve progress because if progress is not achieved, the conference will have negative impact and ramifications. He continued: there is a need to return to Palestinian unity in preparation for the negotiations between Israel and Palestine because the split will not bring positive results. Abul Gheit said: Egypt believes it is necessary to invite Syria to the conference as a party concerned with the peace process.

In the meantime, Palestinian President Abbas promised that no new elections will be held in the Palestinian territories before return of unity between Gaza Strip and the West Bank politically. The statement came during his joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor in Ramallah. He said: There wont be new elections until unity returns to the homeland and people. Abbas said he issued the law to amend the elections law and the elections must be held in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem at the same time. The Austrian Chancellor called for the participation of Syria in the conference. President Abbas condemned during the conference the firing of rockets as it harms the peace process.

Published at Al Ayyam and Al Quds NewsPapers on September 5, 2007