Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that the country's discussion about two-state solution came to a conclusion and Israel would support the plan.
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Israeli President Shimon Peres attends a press conference after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on July 7, 2009. [Zhang Ning/Xinhua] |
"Two states for two people, a state for the Israeli Jewish people beside a state for the Palestinian Arab people," Peres said in a joint press conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. As for the Israeli plans in the future, Peres said Israel will make more efforts for peace process.
"We have no intention to seize more Palestinian land in the future, Israel has no intention to control the Arab people, or to add more settlements," he said, adding "We don't have to waste this chance to achieve peace in Middle East".
The United States has been pushing Israel to freeze building all settlement, while the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has the right to build within existing settlements to allow for what is so called natural growth.
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak adresses a press conference after meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Presidential House in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on July 7, 2009. [Zhang Ning/Xinhua] |
For his part, Mubarak said, "There is a good chance to achieve peace in the Middle East according to the two-state solution and the Arab Initiative."
As for the Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit held in Gaza by Hamas movement, Mubarak said that he is in "good condition" and he hopes the issue will be solved as soon as possible.
It has been exactly three years since the 22-year-old Israeli corporal Shalit was abducted in a triple armed attack led by Hamas on an Israeli army base just outside southeast Gaza Strip, while finalizing a prisoners' swap deal with Israel to free him is still marking time.
The Islamic Hamas movement refused to confirm or deny if the captive Israeli soldier is still alive.
Egypt has been trying to bridge the gaps between the two sides in a bid to finalize a prisoners' exchange deal that makes both sides satisfied. However, Israel and Hamas are still tenacious for their positions and trade accusations that it seems they are not interested in closing this file.
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R) meets with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Presidential House in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on July 7, 2009. [Zhang Ning/Xinhua] |
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2009)
