[Al Arabiya Latest] Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday began his first visit to the United States in five years, to meet his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama for talks that will focus on Middle East peace.
His trip comes as the United States pressures Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank, while demanding that Arab countries begin normalizing ties with Israel ahead of a peace deal Obama is trying to broker.
Mubarak, who is accompanied by several ministers, will meet senior administration officials before holding talks with Obama on Tuesday, the third meeting between the presidents in as many months.
| No doubt President Mubarak will have many very good reasons why Egypt cannot possibly normalize relations with Israel before the Israel-Palestine peace is signed. Besides, they already signed a peace treaty with Israel back when Mr. Carter was president, which is more than most of the other guys did. |
| Um, Egypt does have normal relations with Israel, including an exchange of ambassadors. |
| It's a very, very cold peace. There aren't many Egyptian citizens hitting the tourist spots in the Jewish Entity or arranging cultural exchanges. |
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