Arafat meets Mubarak in Egypt

Egypt has urged the United States to play an active role in helping Israel and the Palestinians reach a final peace agreement.

Speaking after talks in Cairo between the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Amr Moussa, warned that any further delay would be dangerous for the stability of the region.

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators are resuming talks next week in Washington which the United States hopes will lead to a summit with President Clinton, Yasser Arafat and the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak. However, it is still uncertain whether Mr Barak -- who is facing a crisis in his governing coalition -- will take part in the talks.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service