Agreement for deployment of Egyptian forces at Gaza-Israel border
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 6/16/2005

An Israeli official said that Egypt and Israel reached an initial agreement over the deployment of Egyptian soldiers along the borders with Egypt and Gaza following the expected Israeli withdrawal next August.

This came following talks held in Jerusalem by the director of the Egyptian general intelligence Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman with the Israeli foreign minister Silvan Shalom.

The Israeli source disclosed that there are certain details that should be dealt with, noting that Israel had agreed that Egypt and the Palestinian Authority will control the border between Gaza and Egypt in the future, but under the condition that the two sides will prove their ability to fight what he called smuggling of weapons.

The Israeli official added that Israel will only permit the deployment of 750 troops of the Egyptian border guards because deployment of extra numbers require the amendment of the peace agreement signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979. An agreement which states that the "Sinai peninsula is completely a buffer zone."

The agreement which was finalized on Wednesday states Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the passage of Salah Eddine which separates between the Palestinian territories and Egypt, simultaneously. This will allow for monitoring joint Israeli- Egyptian borders, and to implement the agreement, the approval of the two Egyptian and Israeli governments is needed.

Shalom explained following the meeting that he had discussed with Suleiman all matters that will allow the way to implement the withdrawal plan from Gaza and certain settlements in the West Bank. Suleiman also met with the Israeli minister of state Benjamin BinAliazer. Suleiman expressed his conviction that the withdrawal will be peacefully made.

News reports said that the Egyptian side notified the Israelis on the need of halting all formed of military operations so as to preserve calm. On the other hand, Shalom stressed that Tel Aviv will reply to any violation of truce by the Palestinian side.

Suleiman had met earlier with a Palestinian delegation that included the minister of the interior Lt. Gen. Naser Youssef and the advisor for the Palestinian presidency for security affairs Jibril al- Rajjoub.

Previous Stories:
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