Mubarak Rejects Syrian Pledges

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday reportedly rejected pledges by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to settle all controversial issues between the two countries.

 

Well-informed sources said the vows were conveyed to Mubarak last Monday by a Libyan envoy who visited Cairo secretly.

 

The sources said the envoy informed the Egyptian leadership that Libyan President Moammar Kadhafi had postponed his departure from Damascus pending his envoy”s return from Cairo.

 

The Libyan official carried with him a proposal to hold a tripartite summit in Cairo grouping Kadhafi, Mubarak and Assad.

 

The source said Egypt believes that the Syrian move was not more than “a manipulation attempt” to portray the issue as being against the pro-government majority and to show that Egypt has abandoned Lebanon and left Saudi alone defend the Arab initiative.

 

Egyptian diplomatic sources, meanwhile, said there were no signs that Syria was willing to respond to the Arab plan.

 

Instead, the sources said, Syria continues through its allies to create obstacles to prevent the election of a new president in Lebanon until next summer.