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    Thursday, June 25, 2009

    Egypt to restore demolished Gaza terminal, using U.S. aid

    CAIRO — Egypt, bolstered by U.S. aid is preparing to refurbish its border terminal with the Gaza Strip.   

    Officials said the regime of President Hosni Mubarak has agreed to begin the refurbishing of the Rafah border terminal, mostly closed since 2006. They said the terminal, heavily damaged in Palestinian riots in 2008, would be modernized, with facilities to inspect equipment and travelers.

    "Everything is set for the project," an official said.

    Officials said the Egyptian government has selected the state-owned Egyptian Construction Co. to refurbish the border terminal. They said the project would be financed by U.S. International Agency for International Development.

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    The United States has allocated $23 million for border security equipment and training on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border. In 2008, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams conducted training of Egyptian security forces both in the Sinai Peninsula and in the United States.

    Under the terminal project, Egypt would provide troops to ensure security at Rafah. Officials said the European Union would deploy nearly 100 supervisors to monitor the flow of passengers and cargo through Rafah, the only border terminal between the Gaza Strip and the Arab world.

    Officials said the project was not expected to be hampered by the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip. They said Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman has sought to persuade Hamas to allow the deployment of up to 180 Arab military advisers to form a joint Hamas-Fatah security force in the Gaza Strip.

    "So far, Hamas has refused this, but we remain optimistic," the official said.  

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