Frontrunner in upcoming Egyptian presidential election continues anti- Israel rhetoric, says the historic accords "belong on the shelf," but stresses that if Israel respects peace treaty, so will Egypt • Peres: Egypt-Israel relations in "difficult period."

The Camp David Accords "died and were buried long ago," Amr Moussa, the leading frontrunner in Egypt´s upcoming presidential race, said on Monday, further extending his anti-Israel rhetoric.

During a meeting with supporters in the Sohag region in southern Egypt, Moussa, who previously served as secretary-general of the Arab League, told the crowd the accords were outdated, saying, "The Camp David Accords do not exist anymore ... They are historic documents that belong on the shelf as a reminder since the purpose of the accords included the establishment of an independent Palestinian government, while today we speak of establishing an independent Palestinian state," he said.

However, the former Arab League secretary-general then moderated his comments on the agreement signed in 1978, whose aim was to solve the Palestinian issue and establish a cease-fire between Israel and Egypt on the basis of Israel returning the Sinai Peninsula to Cairo. The Camp David accords led to the signing of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in 1979.

Moussa stressed that "as long as Israel respects the peace treaty with Egypt, we will also respect it, even though the main document that governs the relationship between Israel and the Arabs is the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative."

This is not the first time Moussa has come out against the peace treaty with Israel. He has previously said that "the Camp David agreement is not worth the ink and paper it was written on and signed since it has already expired."

In response to Moussa´s comments on Monday, President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that the relationship between Israel and Egypt is in a "difficult period," but welcomed the Egyptian presidential frontrunner´s announcement that if he is elected, he will honor the peace agreement between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram on Monday published a new poll showing that Moussa, who also served as Egypt´s foreign minister for 10 years under ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, is leading the presidential race with about 40% of the vote. The poll also showed him beating his main rival, former Muslim Brotherhood member Abdul Moneim Abu Al Fotouh, now running on an independent ticket, by more than 20%.

Moussa has been the target of heavy criticism by the Islamist movements, which claim that the U.S. and Israel support him after former Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman´s candidacy was disqualified last month.