ARAB-US RELATIONS - April 17 - Powell In Cairo.

On his way home from Israel, State Secretary Colin Powell arrives in Cairo and meets Egyptian FM Ahmad Maher. After the meeting, Maher rejected an appeal from Bush for all sides to "help to confront terrorism in the Middle East". He told a news conference: "I believe an appeal should be addressed first to Israel to end its occupation and its aggression against the Palestinians and to open the doors for serious political negotiations. The Israelis are in fact trying to sabotage every serious and sincere effort to solve the problem. But I think that this sabotage will not work". Cairo officials told US diplomats on April 16 that Mubarak was not feeling well to meet Powell. On April 17, Powell said, the Egyptians reported that Mubarak was "indisposed". But privately, officials hinted that Mubarak's decision to skip the meeting with Powell had nothing to do with his health, and he finally spoke with Powell by telephone. In the news agency interview, conducted on April 15 but released only in the afternoon on April 17, Mubarak made it clear that his disagreement with Washington focused on attacks by Palestinians. "I told Secretary Colin Powell bluntly, when he visited Egypt and when he called me from Ramallah after his meeting with President Arafat, that I do not think anyone should believe that the Jerusalem attack will be the last", Mubarak said, referring to the April 12 suicide bombing that killed six Israelis. "We have to deal with the core of the problem", he added. "We have to get rid of the frustration and desperation of the people".