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Last update - 21:07 25/12/2007
Egypt: Livni should keep quiet on arms smuggling into Gaza Strip
By The Associated Press
Tags: Tzipi Livni, Rafah Border 

Egypt on Tuesday strongly rejected criticism by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that Cairo is doing an awful job of securing its porous border with the Gaza Strip against smugglers, saying she did not understand the issues and should have remained silent.

The diplomatic spat cast a cloud over an upcoming visit to Egypt by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. His talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are expected to tackle a series of security matters, including cross-border weapons smuggling to Gaza militants.

Livni infuriated Egyptian officials on Monday by accusing Egypt of doing an awful job in securing the border, saying this stands in the way of Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians because it strengthens extremists in Gaza.
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"It is better for the Israeli minister to concentrate on negotiation efforts with the Palestinians, instead of speaking randomly about issues she should not be dealing with if she is not fully aware of the situation," a statement from the ministry here said.

Palestinians smuggle everything from explosives to cigarettes to human beings from Egypt into Gaza. The smuggling - especially through an extensive underground tunnel network traversing the boundary - has picked up since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Israeli officials believe Hamas has stepped up arms smuggling since it violently seized control of Gaza in June.

Egypt often acts as a mediator between Israel and Hamas. That mediation, as well as arms smuggling allegations and a recent Hamas offer for a truce are expected to be on the Mubarak-Barak talks agenda when the two meet Wednesday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement Tuesday said it rejected in both form and substance Livni's accusations, which both here and in Israel have been linked with an earlier U.S. House of Representatives proposed legislation to withhold US$200 million in military aid until Cairo takes steps to curb police abuse, reform its judicial system and stop arms smuggling into the neighboring Gaza Strip.

"Livni's remarks are not far from the U.S. Congress proposal to link the aid with Egypt's alleged lack of action toward the tunnels issue," the statement said.

A Jerusalem official said Tuesday that Livni's comments were an expression of the government's growing frustration with what it sees as weak Egyptian efforts to combat smuggling into Gaza, which are causing tension in relations between the two countries.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Egypt-Israel ties.

An unnamed Foreign Ministry official maintained that Israel's frustration over the issue is nothing new. "This is not a diplomatic bomb that went off suddenly - there has been tension about this issue for some time. This is not the most pleasant time in Israel-Egypt relations," he said.

"Unfortunately, we feel a certain level of unease with Egypt's treatment of the border area," Arye Mekel, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, confirmed Tuesday.

Israel is concerned that Hamas is using the subterranean tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border to amass ammunition and explosives as it braces for another round of fighting. The Israel Defense Forces believes hundreds of tons of explosives have been smuggled into Gaza through the tunnels.

"Further ratcheting up friction between the two countries, Israel gave U.S. officials a number of incriminating videotapes showing Egyptian police officers helping weapons smugglers along the border or standing by while smugglers went about their business," defense officials said Tuesday.

"The tapes were passed on through military channels," the officials said, in an attempt to convince the U.S. to prod Egypt to take action against the smugglers. They spoke on condition of anonymity because regulations forbid them from speaking to the media.

Mekel, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Israel did not pass on videotapes to anyone in Congress. He would not comment on whether the tapes existed, or whether they had been given to the U.S. military.

But an Egyptian security official in the border town of Rafah on Monday said the tapes were a fabrication and that it was impossible to film any video of any border activity amid some 750 border guards patrolling the frontiers around the clock.

Until now, the Egyptian security service have not received any tunnel detectors and there was no notification from authorities that we will get any, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

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      1.   Egypt respond to livni 17:31  |  marcel 25/12/07
      2.   By Agreement 18:23  |  Mark of Lewiston 25/12/07
      3.   He said, she said 18:30  |  Natallie Durson 25/12/07
      4.   Livini is a disgrace anyway...never knows how to fight back 18:38  |  SLAVO 25/12/07
      5.   Tit-for-tat...? 18:55  |  Esther 25/12/07
      6.   Hiding Egypt tapes from Congress? Livni is too stupid for her job 19:38  |  Dr. L. Brnd 25/12/07
      7.   It`s very easy for Egypt to secure the border 19:38  |  Conroy 25/12/07
      8.   putting on combat boots 19:43  |  gogo 25/12/07
      9.   Not enough to police the smuggling but enough to shoot refugees 19:44  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/12/07
      10.   Rather ridiculous 19:47  |  Axel 25/12/07
      11.   # 7 conroy 19:50  |  Axel 25/12/07
      12.   #2 - Mark of Lewiston 19:51  |  JES 25/12/07
      13.   Israeli leaders can`t stop Pal tunnels or missiles 19:55  |  Sam 25/12/07
      14.   NAtallie Dumson: If Livni wore boots and patrolled Gaza... 19:59  |  Richard S 25/12/07
      15.   DURSON 20:01  |  JOJO 25/12/07
      16.   right hand kills left hand which knocks right hand and so on.... 20:04  |  dav zee 25/12/07
      17.   Axel #10 & #11 has no clue 20:04  |  Joe Stein 25/12/07
      18.   Egypt shoots black Sudanese but not Hamas 20:11  |  David 25/12/07
      19.   DR L B 20:12  |  JOJO 25/12/07
      20.   Dr. L. Brnd 20:22  |  Larry 25/12/07
      21.   REMEMBER THIS 20:24  |  JOJO 25/12/07
      22.   #10 - Axel, here`s where your wrong 20:27  |  JES 25/12/07
      23.   Egypt constantly playing both sides of the fence 20:28  |  Marwan مروان خوري 25/12/07
      24.   12 JES 20:35  |  Mark of Lewiston 25/12/07
      25.   Egypt taking US aid for granted without taking responsibility 20:39  |  Marwan مروان خوري 25/12/07
      26.   Re Conray #7 20:45  |  Esther 25/12/07
      27.   Smuggling is part of Egypt Plan to underrmine Israel` sovereignty 20:53  |  Joseph E . 25/12/07
      28.   How do you define smuggling? 20:54  |  Andreas 25/12/07
      29.   livni and egypt 20:54  |  marv 25/12/07
      30.   Israel To Slam Mubarak` open Terrorism Support , 21:01  |  Joseph E . 25/12/07
      31.   What sophisticated underground tunnel detection system? 21:03  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/12/07
      32.   BTW, Arieh Mekel is an idiot,I`ve seen him speak like an infantil 21:06  |  Genuine Tosefta 25/12/07
      33.   To Axel (#10), re emplyment prospects 21:08  |  Morris Valentine 25/12/07
      34.   Didn`t Kadema set-up method of smuggling? 21:11  |  sam 25/12/07
      35.   Egypt is rankled 21:12  |  Sabra 25/12/07
      36.   #25 Esther use some common sense, will ya? 22:04  |  Conroy 25/12/07
      37.   # 22 JES the practical joker 22:12  |  Axel 25/12/07
      38.   Non-sense 22:27  |  Shemo 25/12/07
      39.   Old Tzipi always shooting from lip about things she doesnt know 23:18  |  Yossi Cronenberg 25/12/07
      40.   # 22 JES - possible explanation of difference 23:21  |  Axel 25/12/07
      41.   We Wandered 40 Years in Sinaii And No One Stopped Us 23:29  |  Joseph E . 25/12/07
      42.   Re Conroy #36 23:35  |  Esther 25/12/07
      43.   Let me remind everyone what Mubarak did to his own terrorists 23:44  |  Dan 25/12/07
      44.   Why was not Hellen Keller allowed to drive? 00:21  |  Boris 26/12/07
      45.   25. money for nothing mossadi 00:32  |  watching you 26/12/07
      46.   41. now who says you dont have a sense of humour joey? 00:34  |  time is on my side 26/12/07
      47.   coroy #36 00:57  |  hat 26/12/07
      48.   #24 - Mark of Lewiston 01:05  |  JES 26/12/07
      49.   #37 - Well, Axel the big difference is 01:09  |  JES 26/12/07
      50.   African refugees who cannot pay off -get shot 01:09  |  PETER SM 26/12/07
      51.   #40 - Axel, do you do standup? 01:10  |  JES 26/12/07
      52.   Natallie #3 01:18  |  BRL 26/12/07
      53.   Mark of Lewiston - good point - and further 01:37  |  Mark Lincoln 26/12/07
      54.   Mark of Lewiston - what is being smuggled 01:41  |  Mark Lincoln 26/12/07
      55.   smuggling 01:58  |  iser 26/12/07
      56.   Egypt shouldn`t stop the smuggling 02:10  |  christin 26/12/07
      57.   Israel`s "peace partners" don`t live up to their responsibility 03:06  |  Marwan مروان خوري 26/12/07
      58.   Livni should keep firing at Egypt 03:24  |  Brod 26/12/07
      59.   Egypt should remember 03:51  |  Nechama 26/12/07
      60.   @ 46 time is on my side 04:45  |  Joseph E . 26/12/07
      61.   Mubarak...and Livni...in CAHOOTS.. 05:36  |  Ali 26/12/07
      62.   2# Mark of Lewiston. Assuming that you 05:37  |  Akram Zekaria 26/12/07
      63.   48 JES 15:50  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/12/07
      64.   62 Akram Zekaria 16:02  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/12/07
      65.   Really 18:20  |  BountyKillah 26/12/07
      66.   64# Mark of Lewiston. Thanks for your post. 18:32  |  Akram Zekaria 26/12/07
      67.   Yossi Conenberg 23:50  |  Sabra 26/12/07
      68.   why won`t israel allow more egyptian troops? 09:29  |  eric 31/12/07
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