Mubarak proposes Mid-East summit

Mr Mubarak will take his offer to the White House

By Jon Leyne BBC correspondent in Washington

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has offered to host a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

He first suggested the idea directly to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and is now seeking US support during a visit to Washington.

The list of the Middle East's victims of violence grows daily

President Mubarak's proposal is that he should host a summit between Mr Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He discussed it with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and is expected to raise it again when he meets President George W Bush on Tuesday.

But it does not appear as if President Mubarak has any more specific ideas about how to end the current stalemate in the Middle East.

Mr Sharon has refused to meet Mr Arafat since becoming Israeli prime minister last year so the proposal is most unlikely to be accepted, though there has been no public response yet from the Israeli leader.

Competitive

The Americans are left in a more embarrassing position, caught between their support for the Israelis and their friendship for Mr Mubarak.

There is an element of competitive peace-making in the Egyptian suggestion.

It is clear President Mubarak does not want to be left behind in the wake of the much-discussed Saudi Arabian peace proposals.

The Saudis are proposing recognition of the state of Israel if Israel withdraws to its 1967 borders.

Both sets of ideas also cast Mr Sharon as the obstacle to peace and increase pressure on Washington to raise its involvement in the conflict.