Posted on 10/25/2005 12:13:42 PM PDT by anotherview
Oct. 25, 2005 20:43
Mofaz off to Cairo to meet Mubarak
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz flies to Cairo Wednesday for a one-day meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss border crossing arrangements with the Gaza Strip.
The sudden invitation to Cairo came following Mubarak's meeting on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who stopped in Egypt to brief Mubarak on his talks with US President Bush in Washington last week.
It also comes amid criticism by a top Mideast envoy for dragging its feet over opening the Gaza border.
Mofaz's visit will also include a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Field Marshal Muhammad Tantawi and other officials.
Mofaz, who last met with Mubarak in Sharm es-Sheik in March, is to focus mainly on the problematic crossings between Gaza and Egypt, specifically the Rafah Border Crossing which has been virtually shut since Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip over six weeks ago.
James Wolfensohn, a special envoy working on behalf of the United States and other foreign mediators, reportedly accused Israel of unnecessary delays in restoring movement across the borders. According to the Associated Press, Wolfensohn said the stalling is preventing him from moving on to larger reconstruction efforts, such as tourism, agriculture and industrial projects.
"The government of Israel, with its important security concerns, is loath to relinquish control, almost acting as though there has been no withdrawal, delaying making difficult decisions and preferring to take difficult matters back into slow-moving subcommittees," Wolfensohn wrote in the Oct. 17 letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
He said the differences could be quickly resolved, and expressed disappointment he didn't reach a solution during a trip to the region earlier this month.
"While the Palestinians were eager to come to closure, (Israel) preferred to leave difficult questions to committees that will not meet until after the Jewish holidays," he wrote.
Israel is seeking foreign inspectors, possibly from the European Union, at the Rafah crossings to ensure unwanted terrorists are not allowed into the Gaza Strip.
While in Cairo, Mofaz is also expected to raise Israeli concerns on increased arms smuggling along the 240-kilometer border with Egyptian Sinai, as well as to the Gaza Strip by the 14-kilometer Philadelphi corridor now patrolled by a 750-man Egyptian border police force.
Mofaz is also expected to discuss the issue of claimed arms trafficking between Gaza and Egypt especially after Egypt vowed to deploy troops in Sinai in an attempt to foil any attempt to smuggle weapons and combat tools.
Defense officials also said Mofaz would discuss the Egyptian role in the overall peace process and other regional issues.
Why is the United States government, through James Wolfensohn, working to allow free passage of terrorists into Gaza?
Ping
Because, like Egypt, the US is turning it's back on the Israel-Egypt Peace treaty to which the US is a party.
Besides, the palestinians would get angry if they couldn't import arms.
An equally interesting question, where the *ell did the US come up with the idea of demanding a Gaza-West Bank link on Israeli land? From the US-Alaska link Canada granted us?
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.