Cairo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accused the United States in an interview published yesterday of obstructing peace between Israel and Syria.
"I believe America is preventing [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert from achieving peace with Syria," Mubarak told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth during Olmert's visit to the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al Shaikh on Thursday.
Mubarak did not elaborate on his reasons for believing the United States was an obstacle to peace.
Mubarak urged Olmert to test Syria's peaceful intentions to find out whether Bashar Al Assad is serious.
"Bring the truth to light, if it's just a [tactical] manoeuvre or true intentions. Check out which peace he [Bashar] wants to achieve. Why say no to a peace offering?" he said.
He added: "Now, when the president of Syria calls for peace, don't imagine he will come to Jerusalem. That won't happen. No Arab leader will come to Jerusalem until peace is achieved."
Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat, went to Jerusalem to make peace in 1977 but Mubarak has gone there only once in 25 years, for the funeral of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.
