Egyptian foreign minister to travel to Israel

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher plans to visit Israel on Thursday in an effort to help quell Israeli–Palestinian violence, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

Maher will meet with his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, and with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as part of his first official visit to the country, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Noam Katz.

Maher was also expected to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

It was the first trip to Israel by an Egyptian foreign minister since December 1998, when Amr Moussa visited. Egypt has shunned high­level contacts with Israel since Sharon was elected in February. It regards his treatment of the Palestinians as unfair and overly aggressive.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak plans to send his intelligence chief, Omar Sulaiman, to meet with Peres and Sharon soon, Egyptians officials said Wednesday.

Maher said on Wednesday that Egypt is worried by Israel's increasing criticism of Arafat and insistence that he is personally responsible for terrorism.

Mubarak has repeatedly blamed Sharon for the deadlock in the peace process, once saying the Israeli prime minister's reluctance to engage in negotiations with the Palestinians was "silly."

Mubarak has not had an ambassador in Tel Aviv since late last year, when he withdrew his ambassador to protest Israeli treatment of Palestinians.