No one can substitute Arafat: Mubarak
( 2002-03-16 09:32 ) (1 )

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stressed that no one can substitute Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the search for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"Arafat can not be replaced, given the fact that Arafat has been leading the Palestinians over the past four decades," Mubarak said in an interview with an Israeli TV channel on Thursday, which was broadcast by the state-run Egyptian TV Friday night.

Mubarak warned of the worsening conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, saying that an oppressive policy pursued by the Israeli government toward the Palestinians is aggravating hatred.

"If such a policy continued for 10 or 15 years, Israel would have to face 400 million people who have grudge against Israel," Mubarak said.

The only way to build confidence between the two sides is to help the two parties sit together and show flexibility and talk frankly at the presence of the US, he stressed.

"If both parties act on their own and do not listen to any advice, this would lead to a catastrophic situation," Mubarak said.

As for an Arab summit due in Lebanon later this month, Mubarak said that during an Arab summit in Cairo in 1996, the Arabs made it clear that achieving peace is their strategic option, therefore, Arab leaders will talk about peace instead of war in the upcoming summit.