President Anwar Sadat of Egypt returned to Cairo on Sunday (29 February) after a nine day tour of the Gulf States. He also visited Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Republic, Bahrain and Qatar.

The Egyptian President held talks with the leaders of the various countries on ways to solve the Middle East crises, the maintaining of Arab solidarity and the general economic situation throughout the Middle East.

Before leaving Kuwait to return home, President Sadat aid that the only way peace could be achieved in the Middle East was for the Palestine issue to be solved.

The President said the main stumbling blocks to peace in the region were not the Golan Heights or the Sinai but the "burning issue of the Palestine problem".

President Sadat said it was imperative that peace momentum in the area should be maintained and Israel "should not be given a breathing space".

The Egyptian leader warned that if the proposed peace talks, due to be held in Geneva, failed, then "the only alternative will be war."
President Sadat was greeted upon his return to Cairo by the Egyptian Prime Minister, Mr. Mamdouh Salem, and other government officials.