Egypt president to attend Mideast talks launch

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has accepted an invitation by the United States to attend the launch of direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians that aim to reach a peace deal within 12 months, state media said.

Mubarak "welcomed the announcement by the Quartet and confirmed his acceptance of the invitation from President Obama to participate in the launch of direct negotiations at the start of next month in Washington", the state daily al-Ahram reported. (Reuters)