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Egyptian President Says Sharon Alone Able to Achieve Peace With Palestinians

Posted on: Sunday, 27 November 2005, 06:00 CST

Excerpt from interview with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak conducted by Juan Cierco; date and place of interview not indicated

[Juan Cierco] [Passage omitted] Might the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza change the hand [of cards] on the table in the Middle East?

[Husni Mubarak] It is an important step on the path of conciliation and it is a bold decision by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. It is the first time Israel has withdrawn its troops from occupied territories since it evacuated Sinai and south Lebanon. Now it is important to keep the current momentum going and for the withdrawal from Gaza to be a step towards the implementation of the road map. [Passage omitted]

[Cierco] Do you trust Sharon or do you think the withdrawal from Gaza is a fix to maintain the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem?

[Mubarak] I have dealt with several leaders of Israel since I was vice-president. Among all the Israeli politicians, Sharon is the only one capable of achieving peace with the Palestinians. He possesses the capacity to take difficult decisions, to commit himself to what he says and to carry it out. Hence the success of the plan to withdraw from Gaza in spite of all the fuss, not only with the opposition and the settlers but also within Likud. I believe that Sharon is serious in his efforts to achieve peace. The latest progress in Israel confirms it. He has quit his own party to build another more centrist one, prompted by his unhappiness with his party's rigid positions on the peace process. [Passage omitted]

Source: BBC Monitoring European

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