In remarkably conciliatory remarks toward Israel, President Hosni Mubarak urged Palestinians on Thursday to work with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as their best hope to achieve peace and also urged them to curb the violence that has marked the struggle to end the occupation. In addition, the Egyptian leader criticized the decision of Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian leader now in jail in Israel, to declare his candidacy for president of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Mubarak’s comments, some of the warmest he has ever made toward Mr. Sharon, who is generally reviled across the Arab world, were seen as an attempt to help the Israeli prime minister at a time of domestic crisis because Egypt wants Israel to complete its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters in the Egyptian city of Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal, Mr. Mubarak suggested that Mr. Sharon had much to offer the Palestinians. Full Story
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