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Egypt’s Leader Endorses Peace Meeting (ISABEL KERSHNER, 11/20/07, NY Times)

With the prime minister of Israel standing beside him, Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak, gave his full endorsement today to the American-sponsored Middle East peace gathering in Annapolis, Md., next week, and raised hopes among Israeli officials of wider Arab participation in it.

“Obviously we would hope that Egypt’s position will be representative of a larger Arab position,” said Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

At a joint news conference in this Egyptian Red Sea resort, both leaders billed the Annapolis meeting as a springboard for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations toward a final settlement of the conflict.