- Title: EGYPT: EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MUBARAK AN SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASSAD MEET FOR TALKS
- Date: 3rd September 1995
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (SEPTEMBER 3) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV EXTERIOR QUBA PALACE 0.05 2. SLV/SV EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK AND SYRIAN PRESIDENT HAFEZ-AL ASSAD SEATED FOR TALKS (3 SHOTS) 0.17 3. SLV EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AMR MOUSSA (ON LEFT IN STRIPED TIE), SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FAROUK AL-SHARA BESIDE HIM, EGYPTIAN DEFENCE MINISTER (IN ARMY
- Embargoed: 18th September 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City:
- Country: Egypt
- Reuters ID: LVA5T60JFGP82I33DWG069JVQ6RQ
- Story Text: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday (September 3) that the recent top level Iraqui defections have been exaggerated and pledged his support to the Iraqui people saying he hoped for an end to their suffering.
He spoke at a news conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo straight after meeting with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who spoke about the Middle East process.
The two leaders held four hours of talks together with their foreign ministers.
On Iraq, Mubarak said "There are so many rumours dealing with Iraq ... I cannot confirm any of these rumours,".
"All we hope for is that we can help the Iraqi people to do something to help the Iraqi people to live." Mubarak announced last month that he had offered political asylum to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
This was soon after two of Saddam's sons-in-law Lieutenant General Hussein Kamel Hassan and Saddam Kamel Hassan defected to Jordan early last month. The defectors' wives, Saddam's daughters, later joined their husbands.
Washington reacted to the defections by stepping up both military and diplomatic pressure on Iraq, building its troops in the Kuweiti desert near the Iraqui border and calling on Jordan to tighten the economic noose around Saddam.
Assad, In his first public statement on the defections, said the situation in Iraq had been exaggerated and did not merit the attention it received.
Asked about peace negotiations with Israel, Assad said: "The peace is in a state of stalemate and the Israelis are presenting suggestions which are contrary to international law".
Assad reiterated that upgrading negotiations between the two countries to the level of foreign ministers, as Israel demands, would not help in pushing forward the peace process and expressed pessimism about the peace talks with Israel.
The two presidents said they also discussed how to restore Arab solidarity, shattered since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
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