Egypt envisions a weaker Israel after Syria accord

CAIRO [MENL] -- Egypt plans to establish a more united Arab Middle East and a much weaker Israel after the Jewish state completes a peace treaty with Syria.

Egyptian officials said Cairo has drafted plans for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and Israeli military alliances in the wake of any peace with Damascus. This would include Israel dismantling its purported nuclear weapons arsenal and ending its alliance with Turkey.

Osama El Baz, the diplomatic adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, has discussed Egyptian intentions after an Israeli-Syrian peace. He said Cairo would seek to achieve cooperation among Arab countries in the region, particularly in the defense sphere.

The new regional order, he said, would be led by Egypt, which would work to settle disputes between Arab states. "The system would prevent any aggression on any Arab country," he said. "Egypt will work for achieving Arab solidarity."

The presidential adviser said the U.S.-equipped Egyptian military would play what he termed a major role in securing peace maintaining a strategic balance in the region. He did not elaborate, but added that Egypt would not attack any other country.

As part of these efforts, Baz said. Egypt will ask Turkey to end its alliance with Israel, which the Arabs regard as provocative. He said Egypt would also continue to play a role in Israeli efforts to achieve peace with other Arab states.

Egyptian officials said the Mubarak regime would widen its campaign for Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The issue, they said, would be raised in every international forum leading to the NPT review conference in New York in April.