By NNN-KUNA
Cairo : Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit said the Arabs are waiting for a gesture from the Israeli side regarding the resumption of the peace talks.
In an interview with Al-Ahram paper published in Saturday's issue, Abul Gheit said his recent visit with his Jordanian counterpart Abdulelah Al-Khateeb to Israel aimed to carry the message that peace is in the interest of both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The visit focused on how important it is that Israel takes the practical step of releasing more prisoners, removing barriers, and giving the Palestinians hope of progress, he pointed out.
He stressed that Egypt will not speak on behalf of Palestine and that the Palestinians and the Israelis should negotiate directly with each other.
Egypt is meanwhile the scene of much action. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to discuss the Middle East peace process.
The meeting with Rice is set for Tuesday in Sharm El-Sheikh and would bring the two figures together with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan, in addition to the host state's minister, to deliberate regional issues.
This meeting will be preceded by an extraordinary meeting of the Arab foreign ministers that will be held in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
The Arab ministers will discuss the situations in Palestine and the Arab peace initiative.