/ 11 July 1999

BARAK IN EGYPT

ISRAEL’S new Prime Minister Ehud Barak arrived for summit talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Friday facing the first Arab test of his pledge to revive the Middle East peace process. The meeting, the first leg of a diplomatic tour to consult key players in the peace process, is designed to “re-establish a climate of confidence” between Israel and Arab nations, the premier’s office said in a statement. sked on his arrival if he could end three years of Arab-Israeli mistrust under the former right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu in just a few hours of talks, Barak said: “I think it will take more than that. But we are very determined to succeed.” The new Israeli leader is due next to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday.