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Egypt, Israel Near Deal on Troop Deployment on Gaza Border
Egypt and Israel were close to agreement yesterday on a deal to allow hundreds of additional Egyptian soldiers to patrol the border with the Gaza Strip ahead of an Israeli pullout of the territory. The understanding would fly in the face of the current peace treaty between the two countries but highlights a mutual desire to ensure that Palestinian militant groups do not step into any subsequent vacuum after the planned withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers next year. Flanked by his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said they were close to "an agreement that allows for the deployment of additional Egyptian forces on the Egyptian side of the border, despite the fact that the peace agreements don't allow this." Under the terms of the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, only Egyptian policemen are allowed to be deployed along the border but sources said that Egypt has now offered to send around 750 soldiers to the area. Israel has pushed for Egypt to halt the cross-border smuggling of weapons by Palestinian militants and appears to acknowledge that a greater military presence is needed to institute a concerted crackdown.
Posted by: Fred 2004-12-02 |
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