Worldwide Web WorldTribune.com

  breaking... 


Friday, April 4, 2008       Free Headline Alerts

Democrats will be known for Iraq surrender; Time now for homeland defense

EGYPT, ISRAEL DISCUSS END TO MISSILE STRIKES TEL AVIV — Egypt and Israel have been discussing an agreement that would end missile strikes from the Gaza Strip.

Officials said Egypt and Israel, encouraged by the United States, have been discussing a comprehensive accord that would achieve a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. Under the proposed accord, Hamas would halt missile and rocket fire in exchange for the opening of the Gaza Strip.

"The talks are based on the assumption that Egypt could win Hamas's agreement to stop the missile strikes and impose such an arrangement on the other militias," the official said.

Also In This Edition

Other parts of the proposed accord called for a prisoner exchange that would include Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, abducted by Hamas and its allies from his military base in June 2006. Hamas has demanded the release of more than 450 Hamas and other Palestinians detained in Israel.

The Israeli side has been led by Defense Ministry senior official Amos Gilad. Gilad, head of the ministry's political-military bureau, has spent much of the last few weeks in Cairo in efforts to draft an agreement with Egypt on border security.

Officials said Gilad has insisted that any deal include the halt of Hamas weapons smuggling from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip. In exchange, they said, Gilad has been directed to offer the reopening of all border crossings along the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Egypt briefed visiting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah on the negotiations with Israel. The pan-Arab A-Jazeera satellite channel quoted President Hosni Mubarak as saying that any Palestinian ceasefire with Israel would include the West Bank.

The United States has also been involved in the negotiations, officials said. They said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wants Gaza border crossings to come under PA control.

After months of opposition, Barak has not ruled out this option. Instead, the defense minister, following a meeting with Ms. Rice in late March, has linked the U.S. demand to a halt in Palestinian missile strikes from the Gaza Strip.

"When conditions have matured in the future for an end to the Kassam rockets and the terrorism and a lessening of the smuggling of weapons from Sinai into the Gaza Strip, we will be willing to consider easing the situation at the crossings into Gaza through cooperation with representatives of the government of [PA Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad," Barak said in a statement on March 31.

Officials said the military has warned Barak against relying on Egypt to impose security along the Sinai-Gaza border. They said the military has also opposed the U.S. demand for Israel to transfer responsibility for the Gaza border crossings to the PA.


About Us     l    Contact Us     l    Geostrategy-Direct.com     l    East-Asia-Intel.com
Copyright © 2008    East West Services, Inc.    All rights reserved.