Egypt set to restore leading role in regional peace process

RAMALLAH, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi expressed in a verbal message to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Egypt is trying to restore leading role in reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks along with international efforts, a Palestinian official said Tuesday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Morsi was trying to restore the leading Egyptian role, which has receded after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Morsi's request that Cairo "must play a role in the peace process" was conveyed to Abbas verbally by the Egyptian ambassador in Ramallah, the official said.

The official said that Abbas will study the Egyptian request when he meets Morsi on Thursday, as Abbas plans a three-day visit to Cairo starting Wednesday.

The coming meeting between the two leaders is the fifth since Morsi was elected president in June 2012.

The meeting will focus on the national Palestinian reconciliation, which Egypt sponsors, and the U.S. efforts to revive the peace talks that have stalled since 2010.

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