Egypt calls for more talks between Palestinians, Israelis

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Saturday called for more talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the wake of the Mideast peace conference in the United States. After the Annapolis meeting, the Palestinians and the Israelis will meet on Dec. 12 to decide on a working plan on issues such as settlements, the status of Jerusalem, refugees, security and borders, he said in a lecture delivered at the Egyptian Association of International Law. He called on the United States to be a fair mediator in Mideast peace, saying that there should be more talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis in order to reach a peaceful solution by the end of 2008 as insisted by Washington, one of the Quartet for Middle East peace, which also includes the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, he said. He praised the United States for having clearly stated, for the first time in recent years, support for a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel. The United States has been now convinced that the Palestinian problem is a thermometer of ties between the Islamic and the western world, said the top diplomat. However, he said it was "no good sign" for the United States to withdraw on Friday a draft resolution it presented to the UN Security Council concerning the relaunch of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Abul Gheit also called on Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas to close ranks and work hand-in-hand in a bid to settle their domestic crisis for the good of their people. Initiated by U.S. President George W. Bush, the Annapolis conference brought together representatives of more than 40 countries, regions and international organizations at the U.S. Naval Academy in

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