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Peace process can be salvaged,
say leaders of Egypt, Jordan

Hussein and Mubarak May 24, 1997
Web posted at: 1:16 p.m. EDT (1716 GMT)

AQABA, Jordan (CNN) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Hussein on Saturday said the Middle East peace process is not dead and called for a fresh round of discussions to break the deadlock.

The two held talks at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba and appeared confident that the peace process could be salvaged.

"There is no place for despair," Hussein said.

Added Mubarak, "We must never allow ourselves to give in to despair when we are talking about turning the wheel of peace."

The talks were aimed at bringing Israel and Palestinians back to the negotiating table for the first time in more than two months. Peace talks broke off in March when Israel began construction on a housing project on disputed land in the southeastern outskirts of Jerusalem, a project strongly opposed by the Palestinians.

Mubarak said he and Hussein "agreed that the current situation needs an initiative to relaunch negotiations."

The Egyptian leader is to hold a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu beginning Tuesday and his senior adviser, Osama el-Baz, is to head to Israel Sunday to prepare for the upcoming summit.

Hussein and Mubarak

Mubarak: no preconditions for summit

On Friday, Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said that the Israeli-Egyptian summit would succeed if Israel agreed to stop building the disputed housing projects.

But Mubarak brushed aside such suggestions. "We have not talked about conditions. We are talking about how to solve the present crisis," he said.

Mubarak has previously proposed a six-month Israeli freeze on construction of housing projects.

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