DATE= 7/28/2003

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=EGYPT/ISRAEL (L-O)

NUMBER=2-305895

BYLINE=GREG LAMOTTE

DATELINE= CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Egyptian officials are denying that Egypt will soon send its ambassador back to Israel, or that Egypt is under any pressure from Washington to do so. V-O-A's Greg LaMotte spoke with senior Egyptian officials Monday and filed this report from Cairo.

TEXT: Senior Egyptian officials have told V-O-A that Egypt has made no decision to send its ambassador back to Tel Aviv next month. Instead, they say they are hoping for greater progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians that will lead to the return of Egypt's ambassador to Israel.

The comments follow recent reports that both Jordan and Egypt were preparing to send their ambassadors back to Israel.

Egypt recalled its ambassador from Israel in two-thousand, shortly after the Palestinian intifada began. The government said it acted to protest what it said was Israeli aggression against Palestinians. However, Egypt has kept its charge d'affaires in Tel Aviv. Also in 2000, Jordan said it would not replace its retired ambassador to Israel.

Senior Egyptian officials told V-O-A that not enough has been accomplished toward peace to warrant the return of the Egyptian ambassador. And, according to Mohammad Kamal, who teaches political science at Cairo University, many Egyptians feel the same way.

/ / / KAMAL ACT / / /

People here, when they talk about peace with Israel, it's still a cold peace. And, many Egyptians believe that nothing happened recently that would turn this cold peace into a warm peace. And, sending the ambassador back to Tel Aviv means you are warming up with Israel and they will say nothing happened on the ground that necessitates that.

/ / / END ACT / / /

Speaking to V-O-A, senior Egyptian officials also denied a recent news report (AFP Sunday) that Washington was pressuring Egypt to send its ambassador back to Israel. One Egyptian official said that, while Egypt understands that Washington would like to see full relations between Egypt and Israel resumed, Egypt has been under no pressure to send its ambassador back to Tel Aviv. (Signed)

NEB/GL/MAR/MEM/FC