Mubarak laments lack of progress in Mideast peace process

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday night lamented the lack of progress made in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Speaking to Channel 1, he emphasized that there would be no normalization with the Arab world "without Israel giving something." Mubarak said that Egypt was "working on" a Hamas-Israel truce, and concerning the issue of captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, he said the heavy media coverage in Israel "only makes them [Hamas] raise the price." The Egyptian president went on to say that Cairo-Jerusalem ties were "developing all the time." He praised US President Barack Obama's approach to the region, calling him "a listener," and mocked his predecessor George Bush's attempt to reach a Middle East peace deal only in the last six months of his tenure. Mubarak maintained that the Arab peace initiative should not be amended.