President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy said Saturday in Cairo that a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the only way to end the Mideast conflict, adding that Egypt was necessary to achieve this goal.
George Mitchell's trip to Egypt came after three days of separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Israel. His repeated declaration that the US would not settle for anything less than the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel was seen as a stern message to Israel's hardline leaders, who have expressed misgivings about a two-state solution.
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"We believe that a comprehensive Middle East peace is not only in the interest of the people of the Middle East, the Palestinians, and Israelis and Egyptians ... But it is also in the national interest of the United States and people around the world," he told reporters Saturday after meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
"The president believes and I believe that a comprehensive peace in the Middle East will be possible only as a result of the leadership of Egypt, President Mubarak ... And the whole (Egyptian) government," he added.
Obama has not yet detailed his Mideast policy, and both Israelis and Palestinians have been watching closely for a possible shift in US positions.
Mitchell's next stop in his Mideast tour is Saudi Arabia.
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