Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has assured him he is ready to restart peace talks with the Palestinians, but that they were hesitant. He was recounting the hardline Israeli leader's telephone call to him to congratulate him on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the annual pilgrimage to Makka. Mubarak has stepped up calls in recent days for renewed efforts to find a solution to the bloody and divisive 40-month-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians through a floundering US-backed peace blueprint known as the "roadkill" "roadmap." He said he had also contacted the Palestinian side to lobby them to open new talks. "I spoke with the Palestinians yesterday (Friday) and told them they should establish contacts with the Israeli side to restart the negotiations," he said, adding that they had also assured him they would do so.
| Time to plug the old peace processor back in and set it on "puree." |
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