Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has sent an urgent message to US President George W. Bush to force Israel into ending its siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's offices, Egyptian media said today.
"In his message, the president said Israeli actions endanger stability and security in the region as a whole," the main state-owned daily al-Ahramsaid.
"He called on the US administration to intervene effectively and immediately to halt the Israeli actions and secure the safety of the legitimate Palestinian leadership to avoid possibly grave consequences," it added.
The paper said the message was delivered by Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher in a telephone call to US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday. Arafat had asked for Mubarak's help in a telephone call on Friday, presidential sources said.
Maher told reporters he had conferred with Arafat on Sunday to discuss the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories.
Referring to an emergency U.N. Security Council session scheduled for Monday to discuss the siege, Maher called on the global community to bear its responsibility to help end the crisis.
Palestinians have defied curfews to protest in cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip against the demolition of most of Arafat's West Bank headquarters since Thursday, following Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel.
The siege has drawn censure from the European Union and a call for restraint from Washington.
At least 1,554 Palestinians and 599 Israelis have been killed in the Palestinian uprising that erupted in September 2000 after talks on Palestinian statehood stalled.
Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979, has been a central player in efforts to end the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel.