[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Notice the asymmetry in the relationship:

President Mubarak takes the opportunity to slam Israel.

And while Egypt continues to permit a flood of weapons to cross from Egypt
to Gaza via hundreds of tunnels (yes - they do close down some tunnels and
seize some material - but it is only a miniscule fraction of what is
crossing through - and we all know that if Egypt were to turn the sovereign
Egyptian territory adjacent to the border with Gaza into a sterile area that
nothing would pass) and President Peres only ahs praise for Egypt.]

President Peres meets with Egyptian President Mubarak
"We want to live in peace and mutual respect with our Palestinian neighbors.
We seek peace and condemn the path of terror led by Iranian President
Ahmadinejad."
(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)Nov 22, 2009

President Shimon Peres met on Sunday, November 22, 2009 in Cairo with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. They discussed ways to break the political
deadlock and to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating
table, and agreed that Egypt should increase its involvement in renewing the
negotiations quickly. They also discussed bilateral issues, including ways
to prevent arms smuggling from Sinai into the Gaza Strip and the
strengthening of cooperation between the two states in the areas of security
and intelligence.

Following their meeting, Presidents Peres and Mubarak held a press
conference. President Mubarak said: "I expressed my concern to President
Peres that peace talks have not progressed, and we must not miss the
opportunity for peace. We want to see a halt to settlement in the occupied
territories, including East Jerusalem, and the continuation of negotiations
on the basis of the 1967 lines and international agreements. I renew my call
for a just, permanent agreement within a fixed time framework, an end to the
siege of Gaza, and an increase of improvements for the Palestinian people.
Israel must make courageous decisions to complete the process."

President Peres praised the Egyptian President for his responsibility in
keeping the peace and respecting agreements for 25 years, and said, "I came
to find ways and opportunities to advance the peace process. The government
of Israel is prepared for a solution of two states for two peoples, with the
establishment of a Palestinian states alongside Israel. We want to live in
peace and mutual respect with our Palestinian neighbors. We seek peace and
condemn the path of terror led by Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who wants
to impose Iranian hegemony in the Middle East with bombs and threats. We
will not allow the Middle East to be torn to shreds by Iranian terror and
enriched uranium."

In response to a question on a settlement freeze, President Peres said that
Israel is not expanding settlements, is not confiscating land and is not
investing in infrastructure. With the entry into serious, sincere
negotaitons, all issues will be discussed and resolved. There is no other
way of resolving the differences between the two sides than serious
negotiations which will in the end determine the permanent borders and the
framework of the Palestinian state that will be established.

President Mubarak emphasized that the future of Jerusalem, which both
Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, was an issue of concern
for the entire Islamic world. Peres, in reply, said that Jerusalem was under
Israeli sovereignty, and any change to that status would require Knesset
approval. However, he added, "I want to send a clear message to the Arab
world: we have no intention of building on the Temple Mount. We respect the
Muslims, and I am sorry for the frequent rumors and lies. We should not
create fabricated crises."