(23 Mar 2007) SHOTLIST
1. Exterior shot of Egyptian Foreign Ministry
2. Close up of Egyptian flag
3. Photo opportunity with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Ghaith
4. Cutaway of press
5. Various shots of the two delegations sitting at table
6. Journalists leaving room
STORYLINE
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon met the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Ghaith, in Cairo on Friday, his visit coinciding with a statement issued from Egypt demanding that Israel approve in principle the land-for-peace initiative before negotiations with the Palestinians could begin.
The Arab plan offers Israel recognition and peace in return for full withdrawal from the land captured in the 1967 Middle East war, plus the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. It also calls for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to homes in Israel.
The plan, first proposed at the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002, is expected to be revived at the upcoming Arab Summit later this month in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
Israel initially rejected the plan, and was particularly opposed to granting the right of return to Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
However on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the plan could provide a "convenient basis" for renewed talks with Arab moderates. His remark was seen as indicating a tentative interest in the initiative after the failure of other avenues toward peace.
Meanwhile, Arab diplomats say the United States has been pushing for changes to the Arab plan to make it consistent with the "road map," a peace plan supported by the United States and other members of the so-called Quartet - the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. That plan calls for a two-state solution but falls short of specifying border lines for the proposed Palestinian state.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to visit the southern Egyptian city of Aswan this weekend, where she is expected to discuss the American vision for a solution with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and representatives of the UN, the EU and Russia.
Khalaf said Arab parties would listen to that vision, but would also focus on marketing the Arab plan to the United States.
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