Olmert apologies in Mubarak conference for Israeli operations
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 1/6/2007

CNN said about the statements given by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak at the press conference he had with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm El-Sheikh that Olmert found himself in the defense of Israel's acts.

CNN said Olmert's defense came after President Mubarak rejected the Israeli aggression on Ramallah and the declaration by the President that the Israeli operation would not help Israel or the region to achieve peace.

The chief United Nations spokesperson yesterday had voiced the hope that Israel and the Palestinians would exercise restraint in the light of some recent positive developments and avoid violence such as yesterday's Israeli military incursion into the main Palestinian West Bank town of Ramallah. In response to a question at the daily briefing, spokesperson Michele Montas referred specifically to last month's meeting between Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israel's decision to release some Palestinian taxes and Olmert's meeting yesterday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"We would hope that all parties would act with restraint to encourage these small steps back towards dialogue and away from violence, such as the Israeli military incursion into Ramallah yesterday," she said.

British "Times" newspaper referred to Olmert's apology for the Israeli raid and described this apology as usually rare. The network singled out the President's criticism of the Israeli raid and his assertion to Olmert that Egypt rejected the operation.

It also highlighted the President statement that Israel's security could not be maintained through the military power but rather through sincere efforts to establish peace.

The Jordanian newspapers reported that President Mubarak expressed to Olmert his resentment over the acts of violence and acts that hinder peace efforts.

Meantime, An official source at the customs administration said transit by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Rafah checking point with twenty million dollars in his possession did not violate the Egyptian laws regulating the entry and exit of foreign exchange. The source said Haniyeh registered those funds in his customs statement upon entering Egypt at his responsibility.

The source said these measures are applied to all Palestinian individuals and officials leaving Egypt with sums they have brought from abroad in their possession.

The source said in line with the Egyptian foreign exchange law, Egyptians and foreigners could enter and leave Egypt with foreign exchange sums in their possession on condition that they should register them upon entering.

This came in a comment to claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during his press conference with President Mubarak on smuggling funds to Gaza through the Egyptian frontiers.

Previous Stories:
  Mubarak receives phone call from Israeli PM   (10/23/2006)
  Mubarak: Any attempt to drag Egypt into illogical conflict unacceptable   (7/29/2006)
  Mubarak said Olmert had wanted to release prisoners   (7/12/2006)

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