The U.S. military intends to launch negotiations with the regime of
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in early 2008, officials said. They said
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would conduct a feasibility study on
several options to block an estimated 150 weapons smuggling tunnels, most of
which extend eight meters underground.
Officials said the administration's efforts were sparked by warnings
from the Israeli government that negotiations with the Palestinian Authority
required an end to the daily missile strikes from the Gaza Strip. They said
that barring an Israeli military invasion, the only way to foil the missile
attacks was a halt to the smuggling of weapons and explosives to the Gaza
Strip.
In December, a U.S. delegation comprised of officials from the State
Department and the Pentagon toured the Gaza-Sinai border. Officials said the
delegation drafted a report that outlined three options.
One option called for the export of U.S.-origin tunnel detection systems
to Egypt. Another proposal envisioned the construction of a canal along the
14-kilometer border. Still another option stipulated an underground barrier
along the Rafah dividing line.
"It's not clear whether this is all just talk or whether Egypt will
agree to any of these plans and the United States will pay for them,"
another official said. "What the Egyptians want more than anything else is
permission for more troops in eastern Sinai."
