President Mubarak warns of repercussions of delayed peace in Middle East

Erdogan visits Syria, says ready to resume Syria-Israel mediation efforts

Israel pursues threats policy, Netanyahu speaks of "warm" peace with Arabs

Britain views settlements as obstacle hampering any overall peaceful solution

Egyptian President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak said the Palestinian issue will remain in the conscience and hearts of all Egyptians, being the key to a just and comprehensive peace and the security and stability of the region.

Addressing the nation on the 57th anniversary of the July 23, 1952 revolution, Mubarak said the Revolution was a turning point in our modern history that expressed our people's desire for independence, freedom, national sovereignty, and a better life.

"Over the long road of our national struggle the banner of the Revolution was carried by President Gamal Abd El-Nasser and his companion's, then it was led by President Anwar El-Sadat, and after them I bear its responsibility and trust.

As we mark the 57th anniversary of the Revolution, we pause to consider the changes that Egypt, the Middle East and the world has witnessed since the 50's of the last century.

We contemplate the challenges and new priorities we face domestically and abroad, and the demands they impose in order to achieve the aspirations of our people. We hold fast to our principles, and to the causes of our people and wider nation, while responding, at the same time, to the realties of the current regional and international situation. We are living a new reality on our nation's territory, with new hopes and ambitions; achievements and aspirations; with the difficulties and problems that we experience; and with aspirations for a better life and dignified living.

We struggle earnestly to support Egypt's domestic issues by moving actively and effectively on the regional and international stage to strengthen our existing cooperation with our brothers in the Arab World and Africa. We strive to broaden our participation in the Mediterranean region and Europe, and our strategic relationships with the major powers. We defend our interests, and the interests of the developing states within the groups of developed states and international forums, and we play a principal role in our region's issues and crises.

The stability of the Middle East is the foundation of growth and development for us and others. It is the principle demand among the requirements of Egypt's national security, and it is strongly connected to the situation in the Arab Gulf, and the security of the Red Sea, Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the sources of the Nile.

The Palestinian Cause will continue to occupy Egypt's conscience and the hearts of the Egyptian people. It is the key to a just and comprehensive peace, and the true guarantee of peace and stability in the region. We will continue our efforts for Palestine and its people. We will continue our contacts with the major powers, and regional and international parties to break the impasse in the peace process through action that confronts all parties with their responsibilities, and warns of the consequences of delaying peace for the security and stability of the Middle East.

Egypt has always, and will always, play an effective and influential role in her region, and in her arena's of action in Africa and the Middle East, and among the developing and Non-Aligned states around the world.

We play this role on a firm basis of size, location, capabilities, and stature. We have achieved over the last few years a new impetus for our economy, adding to our status as an emerging economic power that enjoys the recognition and appreciation of the world, and enabling us to further strengthen our regional and international role, and placing us on a new track in our dealings with the major powers, and emerging economies.

It is true that domestically in Egypt, we are facing numerous difficulties and challenges. Yet, based on what we have achieved so far, we are confident that we are on the right path, and we know that we are able to continue to grow, develop, advance and modernize our society.

That is our cause, and it is the cause of a society that aspires to build the foundations of its strength, and strives to achieve a qualitative leap that will guarantee continued growth and development for present and future generations, year after year.

We strive to achieve this by continuing our policies of economic and social reform. We strive for this by continuing to build the framework of our democracy, and by responding to new international realties in a changing world that has no room other then for those you grasp opportunities and confront challenges.

The lives of peoples and nations are based on ambition, diligence, and struggle and the capabilities of nations are built with the minds and effort of their peoples. And we in Egypt can achieve for our nation and our society the qualitative leap to which we aspire.

And I assure you, with every confidence and certainty, that we can do this with the resolve, and determination of the Egyptian people, and with what I know of the mettle of this people and its fortitude.

Yes, Egypt has witnessed many changes over the course of the past 57 years, at home, in her region, and the world around her.

But what has not and will not change, is the authenticity of this people, their ability to stay the course to a better future, and their commitment to their national sovereignty, pride and territorial independence.

What has not and will not change is this people's awareness of attempts to undermine their national unity, and of dangers of terrorism and extremism, as well as the crises we face in our region, and their consequences.

Egypt will always be enriched by you, by her Muslims and Copts, by her army and economy, by her workers and farmers, and her middle class, by her thinkers and writers, and by her history, democracy , and social cohesion.

Egypt will remain strong, and imposing through her people. We all raise her banner, and we carry our devotion to her within our breasts and souls, and we maintain our patriotism and loyalty to her within our hearts."

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "warm peace" between Israel and its Arab neighbors on Thursday in a rare speech at the Egyptian ambassador's residence near Tel Aviv.

"I think we can have a very warm peace," Netanyahu said, according to statements carried by the private Channel Ten television.

"We hope in the months and years ahead to forge peace with the Palestinians and to expand that into a vision of a broader regional peace," Netanyahu said.

"I think a comprehensive peace is possible," he added.

Netanyahu made the remarks at the residence of Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Rida near Tel Aviv, where a reception was held to celebrate Egyptian national day.

Israeli President Shimon Peres also attended the ceremony in Herzliya north of Tel Aviv and joined Rida and Netanyahu in symbolically cutting the cake.

Egypt was the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Jordan followed suit in 1994.

Relations between Israel and its peace partners have been lukewarm if not tense at times but in recent weeks several Israeli officials have traveled to Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak.

Netanyahu was in Egypt in May, followed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in June and Peres, whose role as president is largely ceremonial, was in the neighboring country earlier this month.

Several Israeli warships have recently passed through Egypt's Suez Canal for the first time, to take part in maneuvers in the Red Sea.

Netanyahu's remarks come as US special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell prepares to return to the region this weekend to help push the peace process.

US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said that Mitchell will hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials and will also travel to Bahrain.

Bahrain's Crown Prince Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa authored a column in The Washington Post on July 17 calling on Arab leaders to reach out to the Israeli people by engaging with Israeli media outlets.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus Wednesday to discuss restarting stalled negotiations between Syria and Israel.

Following the meeting, Erdogan told reporters he visited Syria after receiving several requests to help revive peace talks between Israel and Syria.

“We feel a responsibility ... Requests to resume the process have started to come. We are working on the issue,” Erdogan told reporters.

In 2008, Turkey brokered four rounds of indirect talks between Israel and Syria, which have been delayed since December due to Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

Responding to news of the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media advisor Nir Hefetz said, “The Prime Minister said that he is willing to travel to anywhere necessary to this end, and that any channel – the Turkish or the American – is legitimate.”

Meanwhile, a senior Likud part member in Israel questioned Erdogan’s role as a neutral broker and expressed doubt on Assad’s willingness to forge peace.

As a precondition to peace negotiations, Syria seeks the entire return of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized during the 1967 Six Day War. In May, however, Assad played down the possibility of talks, saying Syria lacked a “partner.”

In Amman, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates held talks with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday amid a push by Washington to revive Middle East peacemaking.

"Finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue that would lead to the creation of an independent state is the basis for achieving peace and stability in the region," a palace statement quoted the king as telling Gates.

The king, who discussed with Gates "ways to boost bilateral defense cooperation", said the United States "plays a key role in efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in line with a two-state solution."

Jordan, a key US ally, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Gates was also to meet army chief General Khaled Sarayrah before holding a news conference.

The defense secretary, who arrived in Jordan from Israel, is one of three top US officials in the region this week. The others are US Middle East envoy George Mitchell and US National Security Advisor James Jones.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had said that a freeze on Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank could help restart the peace process in the region.

"The deadlock has to be broken in some way," Brown told a committee of British lawmakers.

"I feel that if the Israelis were prepared to freeze settlement construction, there would be a response in the Arab world.

And I think that is a way that you can see that movement forward could happen."

U.S. President Barack Obama wants a complete halt to settlement construction, a demand that has caused the most serious rift in U.S.-Israeli relations for a decade.

"All of us are putting pressure [on Israel], recognizing, of course, that Israel must have guarantees about its security, recognizing that a Palestinian state cannot be viable unless it is economically viable," Brown said.

Brown said he believed the United States could play a central role in trying to secure progress.

"I believe that the talks that President Obama has called in Washington are important, and I think that has a potential for being the next step forward. I know Senator George Mitchell is doing a huge amount of work in the region and he has our support."

A spokesman for the British prime minister said Brown was referring to talks Obama has held with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders in recent months, rather than signaling a new U.S. initiative.

Obama hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in separate meetings 10 days apart in late May.