Shultz Lauds Israel, Egypt for Dedication to Peace in Mideast
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CAIRO — Secretary of State George P. Shultz said Monday that Israel and Egypt have a “genuine preoccupation with the importance of peace” but said his Middle East visit broke no new ground toward that goal.
However, he said his discussions with leaders of the two countries convinced him that “people are putting a higher and higher premium on the importance of getting somewhere.”
Shultz spoke briefly with reporters during a six-hour stop in Cairo. The trip followed visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Leaves for London
He left Cairo for London for a meeting with King Hussein of Jordan. The monarch is visiting the British capital.
Shultz approached regional leaders on prospects for an international Middle East peace conference. Hussein, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres support the idea, but Peres’ coalition partner, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, strongly opposes it.
In Cairo, Shultz and Mubarak extended their scheduled 30-minute private meeting to 90 minutes, then met for another hour over lunch.
Shultz said he and Mubarak discussed the Arab-Israeli question and the Iran-Iraq War.
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