http://www.english.hadhramaut.info Abul Gheit: Israel to mull easing measures on Palestinians [The Source: www.sabanews.net - 29/12/2009] Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abul Gheit said here on Tuesday that Israel promised to consider measures on easing pressures on the Palestinians, describing meeting of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with president Hosny Mubarak here today as a " positive" one, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported Tuesday. Abul Gheit said in his answer to the journalists' questions following Netanyahu's meeting with president Mubarak that the Israeli side promised to take enough measures to soften pressures on the Palestinians including removing barriers," In order to allow the freedom of movement for Palestinians, trade and labor and whatever could help revive the Palestinian economy." He drew attentions to the Egyptian side's asking of the Israeli side to rid of many domestic measures in order to lift pressures on the Palestinians, remove barriers, unleash the Palestinian economy and give the Arab economies full play to help the Palestinians.On whether Netanyahu has changed his stance on peace or that political settlement horizons have been more opened-up, Abul Gheit said that it is difficult to say that political settlement horizons have been more opened-up, considering that Netanyahu is heading forward and that things need the exertion of more efforts to make the Israeli side move toward a common ground with the Palestinian demands.As for what is claimed by some media outlets of Egypt's responsibility for the siege imposed on the Palestinians in Gaza, Abul Gheit said that, "Egypt is the noblest force standing up to the Palestinians and that Egyptians have sacrificed their lives and may be their future to defend this cause.", adding that this, "Does not satisfy those who want to take us to the path of collision and war." Taking a similar tack, he said that his upcoming visit to Washington, "Is not only for listening to the views of the US side, but it is going to focus on conveying the views of Egypt and president Mubarak to the US side on how to benefit from the peace efforts, the bases upon which these efforts should be based and the final goals of these efforts." He also stressed the significance of the Arab peace initiative as one of the bases of any upcoming negotiations.Concerning the Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails, Abul Gheit said that "Egypt understands the need of the Palestinians to release certain figures and do not accept the Israeli stance that insists on deporting these prisoners because it thinks that they are Palestinians and entitled to live on their own lands." Regarding the constructions made by Egypt on its international borders with Gaza, Abul Gheit said, "I do not know that there is a wall, what I know is that there was a fence on the ground built by Egypt some years ago, then it rebuilt it after being destroyed by our brothers in Hamas movement." Answering a quesion on Iran's nuclear file, Abul Gheit said that the Israeli side are still feeling concerns on it and they talk about their fears of matters coming to a head in the Middle East. However, he said that Egypt, on its part, stresses the importance of not complicating the situation, not allowing matters to slip into an armed conflict and not imposing fresh sanctions on Iran as some western powers threaten with in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).Last but not least and on the media flare on the "Life line" convoy, Abul Gheit said that, This matter arouses wonder as there is a deliberate design on not listening to the Egyptian view and the right of the Egyptian state to determine the place from which the convoy will pass in order to provoke Egypt, then criticize it.