Egypt to Mediate in Mideast Conflicts

Egypt launched an urgent Middle East peace mission yesterday after clashes broke out between Palestinian police and protesters over the house arrest of militant Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher left Cairo ahead of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on arranging a ceasefire after a surge in 14 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

US envoy Anthony Zinni was also expected to meet Arafat in a fresh drive to halt the bloodshed after a wave of Palestinian suicide attacks and Israeli retaliatory air strikes.

Hundreds of youths threw stones at Palestinian police outside Yassin's home in the Gaza Strip. And police, armed with riot shields, rifles and batons, threw stones back, said a correspondent on the scene.

"It's because they put Yassin under house arrest. Yassin did not do anything wrong," one youth said.

Thousands of protesters and Arafat's police officers exchanged fire overnight during protests outside Yassin's home, highlighting the resistance Arafat faces in meeting US and Israeli demands to crack down on militants.

A protester and a policeman were hurt in the clashes, security officials said. Arafat has been under pressure to arrest militants since the weekend suicide attacks by Hamas that killed 25 people in Israel. He says it is hard to make arrests while Israel carries out air strikes and restricts the movement of police.

The air strikes on Monday and Tuesday were the heaviest in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation began in September 2000.

Arafat says Israel is trying to oust him and the Palestinian Authority but Israeli officials deny this.

A European diplomat in Cairo said Egypt wanted to persuade Israel to halt air strikes to help Arafat rein in militants.

(China Daily December 7, 2001)