Egypt says Maher-Arafat meeting unlikely, despite Sharon's OK

In a reversal of his previous statements on the issue, Sharon said Thursday that he was acquiesing to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's request to allow his foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, to meet with Arafat in Ramallah Friday.

According to Foreign Ministry officials, the Egyptians have promised to pressure Arafat into halting terror attacks against Israel and announcing a cease-fire.

An official at the Egyptian ministry in Tel Aviv told Israel Radio, however, that Maher would not be coming to Ramallah. The official said that Egypt had been offended by Israel's original refusal to allow Maher to visit the besieged Palestinian leader.