[21/November/2009]

CAIRO, Nov. 21 (Saba) - Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak said Saturday Israel was responsible for undermining the peace process because of its plans to judaize occupied Jerusalem, excavations around Al-Aqsa Mosque and confrontations with Palestinians in the holy shrine, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported on Saturday.

"You are placing new obstacles in the path to peace through your call to recognize the Jewish character of the state, to negotiate on interim borders for the Palestinian state and ruling out Al-Queds from the final status negotiations," Mubarak said in his address to the Israeli leaders.

Addressing a joint session of the People's and Shura Councils marking their new legislative term, Mubarak urged the Israeli leaders to cease their practices in the West Bank, lift the siege off Gaza Strip and to answer calls for peace thus resume negotiations "within a specified time frame and clear guarantees." Egypt, which exerted relentless efforts for the sake of inter-Palestinian conciliation, did not lose hope, he said.

Mubarak, meanwhile, warned Iran against meddling in Arab affairs.
"We will not hesitate to taking positions against the attempts to destabilize stability of Egypt's national security and its relation to security of the Gulf region, the Red Sea and the Middle East in general," he said.

The Egyptian president, on the other hand, said Egypt was determined to building nuclear reactors to generte electricity in collaboration with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Saba