Arms: Egypt doing 'terrible' job
2007-12-24 19:43
Jerusalem - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni said on Monday Egypt had done a "terrible" job of trying
to stop arms smuggling into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and
she warned of the implications for the region.
Hamas took control of Gaza in June, prompting Israel to
tighten its military and economic cordon around the coastal
territory.
But Israel says Hamas has been able to smuggle in weapons
and ammunition - mostly through tunnels under the so-called
Philadelphi Corridor that separates Egypt and Gaza.
"Egyptian actions in the war against smuggling in the
Philadelphi Corridor are terrible and definitely have
implications for future problems in the region, such as the
arming of Hamas in Gaza," Livni was quoted by an Israeli
Parliamentary spokesperson as telling a key committee.
The Egyptian government says it is doing its best with the
personnel it is allowed to deploy at the border under the 1979
peace treaty and a subsequent agreement with Israel.
Livni's comments come two days before Israeli Defence
Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to visit the Red Sea resort of
Sharm el-Sheikh for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The talks are expected to focus on smuggling and efforts to
free an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza militants in June 2006.
Israel pulled troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, but
still controls key crossing points, airspace and coastal waters.