Israeli defense minister to meet with Mubarak today

The Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz meets today in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, for the first time with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in order to discuss the arrangements concerning the Egyptian security presence on the Egyptian- Palestinian borders following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Israeli ministry of defense said that Mofaz's visit to Egypt came as a personal invitation from Mubarak.

For his part, the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abu al-Ghait said on Wednesday following a meeting with the Palestinian foreign minister Nasser al-Qidwa that the "military men and security departments of the two sides continued discussions of security arrangements on the border. But these matters have not been settled yet."

For his part. Al-Qidwa stressed "the need of the withdrawal of all the Israeli forces from Gaza, especially Salah Eddine border passage, considering that "any thing contrary to that would create a continued opportunity for problems and military and political confrontations."