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U.S. allies seek to cool war fever

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Thursday, August 2, 2001

JERUSALEM Ñ Arab allies of the United States are pressing Syria and the Palestinians against launching war against Israel, a new report says.

The research division of Israel's Foreign Ministry said the Arab effort to prevent a Middle East war is being led by Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The report said these countries have pressured the Palestinian Authority and Syria to halt preparations for any war against Israel.

The three U.S. allies are said to fear that the current escalation in Middle East tension could result in a regional war that would damage their interests. The report said Egypt, Jordan and the Saudis have warned of war against Israel while pressing Syrian President Bashar Assad and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to lower the tension.

The result, the report said, is that even Syria and the Palestinians have concluded that war is not in their interest. Instead, Syria and the Palestinians are expected to continue low-intensity conflict against Israel.

The Foreign Ministry report agrees with military assessments that dismiss the prospect of an imminent regional war. The assessments, however, have warned that the current Arab-Israeli fighting could spin out of control as the current Arab political front against Israel turns into a military coalition.

The focus of the fighting is along the border with Egypt at the Gaza city of Rafah. So far, at least one Egyptian police officer was killed and six others injured from Israeli fire. The Egyptian injuries have aroused calls in Cairo for a severing of diplomatic relations with Israel.

In Alexandria, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak appears to have rejected a Palestinian demand for an Arab League summit. Mubarak was urged by Arafat to support an emergency meeting of Arab leaders.

"It is illogical to consider a summit every time something happens," Mubarak said. "What use would a summit be now? Holding mini-summits or maxi-summits is not the question. Contacts can yield results, whether they are held between the Palestinians and Israel only, or with the United States and the European Union."

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