CAIRO [MENL] -- Egypt has warned the United States that the Israeli military
offensive against the Palestinian Authority could spread into a
confrontation with the Arab world.The warning came as Egyptian defense chiefs asserted that the military
is prepared for any slide into regional war.Egyptian diplomats and government-aligned analysts said President Hosni
Mubarak has told Washington it will not tolerate the Israeli destruction of
the regime of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. The diplomats said Mubarak has
repeatedly pledged to Arafat that the Egyptian president would preserve the
PA.Mubarak spoke by telephone with Bush on Thursday and called for an end
to the Israeli military campaign. Earlier, Mubarak warned in an interview
with the Beirut-based A-Safir that Israel would be the main victim of any
regional conflict.At the same time, Egypt's defense chiefs said the nation is prepared for
war. "The recent developments require the Egyptian armed forces to preserve
a high level of preparedness and readiness to confront any challenge and
threat," Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi said.
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