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Egypt on Wednesday extended its welcome to the participation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in an Arab-US summit scheduled for June 3 at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Egypt welcomed "the participation in the summit of the Palestinian National Authority represented by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas," said the Republican Palace in a statement, carried by the official MENA news agency.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has extended invitations to US President George W. Bush, Moroccan King Mohammed VI, Bahraini King Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom's de facto ruler, the statement said.
However, it did not mention whether Mubarak has invited Abbas to attend the summit, which aims to help put into effect a roadmap on Mideast peace.
"The participants will discuss Mideast peace, Iraq's future and stability, international efforts to combat terrorism and economic cooperation," it said.
According to the statement, Mubarak will hold talks with Bush ahead of the expanded summit to discuss bilateral ties.
Apart from the Arab-US summit, Bush is expected to attend another summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abbas in Jordan on June 4.
Bush's desire for the Jordan summit was boosted by the fact that the Israeli cabinet narrowly approved the roadmap on Sunday, the first time for the Jewish state to recognize the Palestinians' right to statehood.
Besides Egypt and Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait might be on the itinerary of the US leader's proposed Middle East trip, the first since he took office in January 2001.
Following the release of the roadmap in late April, Bush has been under mounting criticism from the Palestinian side for not doing enough to prod Israel to accept the blueprint.
The roadmap, worked out by the international Quartet -- the United States, United Nations, Russia and the European Union -- envisions a full Palestinian statehood by 2005.
Under the peace plan, the Palestinians are supposed to curb anti-Israel attacks and cooperate with Israel in security affairs.
Meanwhile, Israel is required to halt all settlement activities and pull back from the Palestinian lands re-occupied since the start of intifada, or uprising, on Sept. 28, 2000.
(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2003)
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