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Last update - 16:41 26/12/2007
Egypt FM: Pro-Israeli lobby is harming our relations with U.S.
By The Associated Press
Tags: Rafah, Gaza 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday accused the
Israeli lobby in Washington of straining its relations with the United States by using the issue of smuggling across the Gaza border as an excuse to cut U.S. military aid to Cairo.

The remarks came hours before a scheduled meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik where they were expected to discuss the cross-border weapons smuggling to Gaza militants.
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"The latest months have seen the Israeli lobby's efforts to harm Egypt's interests with the (U.S.)Congress," Aboul Gheit told reporters. "The Israeli lobby inside the Congress was behind some positions adopted by Congress and the Israeli media campaign in the last few months falls within this trend."

Another senior Egyptian official echoed Aboul Gheit's comments, accusing Israel of trying to influence U.S. aid to Egypt. He referred to video footage that Israel passed to the United States in which Egyptian soldiers are seen taking part in the weapons smuggling. The official said that this is a "blatant attempt to interfere in internal Egyptian matters," adding that "in the videos there is nothing" and that "the construction of settlements is very damaging the peace process".

The comments come during a period of heightened tension between Egypt and Israel, which claims that not enough is being done to stem the flow of weapons being smuggled across the border.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) said during a visit to Jerusalem he was upset by the smuggling, and revived a proposal by Congress to cut aid if the issue was not addressed.

"Egypt can do a lot more," said Specter, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. "And if they don't, I think it would be appropriate to condition aid to them."

Egyptian police also announced Wednesday that it had arrested in the Rafah border town, near the Gaza frontier, a weapons smuggler and confiscated nearly a ton and a half of bomb-making material hidden in his home.

Police found 13 sacks, each containing 20 kilograms of explosives in underground caches and 60 sacks filled with about 1,200 kilograms of potassium nitrate used to make explosives.

The smuggler confessed taking weapons and explosives to Gaza Strip through tunnels with the help of associates on the other side, police said.

Aboul Gheit said Egyptian-U.S. relations "should be healthy as both are keen to achieve stability in the (Middle East) region ... and hope that foreign parties will not succeed in harming this relationship."

"We will not allow a third party to interfere in the Egyptian-American relations which is bilateral and includes one regional power and one international power that try to discuss all issues openly and in cooperation," Aboul Gheit said.

Egypt on Tuesday strongly rejected criticism by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that Cairo was doing a terrible job of securing its porous border with the Gaza Strip against smugglers. Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said Livni did not understand the issues and should have remained silent.

The Egyptian foreign ministry statement on Tuesday said Livni's accusations, which both in the United States and in Israel have been linked with an earlier U.S. House of Representatives proposed legislation to withhold $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.


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      1.   The Good Senator 12:48  |  Clickfool 26/12/07
      2.   speechless 12:54  |  Dav 26/12/07
      3.   EGYPTS "DEEP STATE"!! 13:25  |  Stephen. 26/12/07
      4.   The U.S. can do better.! 13:50  |  Stephen. 26/12/07
      5.   #1 - As simple as that 14:18  |  Fares 26/12/07
      6.   The US Senate 14:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      7.   Pennsylvania can do better 14:32  |  Natallie Durson 26/12/07
      8.   Israel stole a whole nation with US endorsement 14:38  |  American 26/12/07
      9.   #5 Not as simple 14:41  |  Krystal 26/12/07
      10.   Funny Natalie 14:49  |  Michael 26/12/07
      11.   So allow for more troops at the border? 14:51  |  Sarah L 26/12/07
      12.   Re #1 clickfool, So hard to believe... 14:53  |  Michael 26/12/07
      13.   8: An American talking about "stealing nations"? 14:56  |  David Teich 26/12/07
      14.   Nat, Yankeleh, et. al. 15:16  |  Marabu 26/12/07
      15.   to quote Egypt: "Smuggling an internal matter" 15:19  |  bennieyama 26/12/07
      16.   to Natalie Durson 15:21  |  Bennieyama 26/12/07
      17.   smugglers cove and Long John Click 15:25  |  k 26/12/07
      18.   Marabu, the reasons are varied 15:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      19.   #14 But I Would Not Be Surprised 15:29  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      20.   to Click 15:29  |  Bennieyama 26/12/07
      21.   PA better than CA. 15:34  |  ross 26/12/07
      22.   to Yakoov- you could always move! 15:40  |  Joseph 26/12/07
      23.   America and Israel 15:43  |  Zackowski 26/12/07
      24.   #6 yaakov no he didnt he said occupied territories 15:49  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      25.   #24 Victorpaul Harrisman 15:56  |  Labhras 26/12/07
      26.   Egypt suffers for US/Israel failed policy 15:58  |  Tosefta 26/12/07
      27.   Happy Chanukah Nutali 16:02  |  GOD 26/12/07
      28.   #23 is whackowski serious ? iraq and the israel myth 16:07  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      29.   The Great Senator 16:07  |  The Equalizer 26/12/07
      30.   #25 labarse is now going to explain the term 16:12  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      31.   Well of course the pro-Israeli lobby is harming... 16:14  |  Silvienne 26/12/07
      32.   No. 1, Clickfool 16:17  |  W 26/12/07
      33.   Joseph, it would then even tolerate 16:20  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      34.   A general comments to most of you ninkompoops 16:30  |  Joseph 26/12/07
      35.   yes lets piss off Egypt!! then Jordan!! 16:34  |  proud joooooo 26/12/07
      36.   So Joseph, what are you still diong 16:40  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      37.   34 Joseph, By Jove, I think you`ve got it. 16:40  |  The Equalizer 26/12/07
      38.   yaakov makes a platz again 16:50  |  Joseph 26/12/07
      39.   egypt`s interests 16:51  |  marcel 26/12/07
      40.   Joseph, now lets look at that statement 16:59  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      41.   When in doubt blame the Jews 17:08  |  Gili 26/12/07
      42.   yakoof again 17:09  |  joseph 26/12/07
      43.   NO Americans want Egypt arms aid used to support terrorism! 17:13  |  Dr. L. Brnd 26/12/07
      44.   Moslem Clicky in the Xmas spirit: for violence and killing 17:20  |  AliciaYasmeen 26/12/07
      45.   Appeasement 17:32  |  Boulos 26/12/07
      46.   Sad, Joseph, really sad 17:33  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      47.   #41 Fact of the Matter.... 17:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      48.   #35 doesnt understand the term "friends" 17:46  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      49.   Suez and Aswan 17:48  |  Fred Locke 26/12/07
      50.   yakoof 17:57  |  Joseph 26/12/07
      51.   43--Brnd 18:01  |  Steve 26/12/07
      52.   48. victor littleputz has no understanding of the world 18:04  |  proud joooooo 26/12/07
      53.   Nothing to do with occupation 18:17  |  Jabadini 26/12/07
      54.   US Israel lobby 18:39  |  The Maintenance Man 26/12/07
      55.   54 maintainence man 18:59  |  bennieyama 26/12/07
      56.   proud jooooo # 35_ Just Like You, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iran 18:59  |  Eli 26/12/07
      57.   #52 the new kid on the block is a lasting joke 19:28  |  victor hardman 26/12/07
      58.   #41, Gili, When in doubt play the pity card... 19:28  |  Silvienne 26/12/07
      59.   Yaakov the liar 19:31  |  Zody 26/12/07
      60.   56. eli the dispora zionist in cali is doing its part 19:58  |  proud jooooo 26/12/07
      61.   Maybe your vile antiIsrael and anti-Semitic policy is harmful too 20:13  |  Dan 26/12/07
      62.   DOUBLE-SPEAK! 20:38  |  Jeff 26/12/07
      63.   Egypt`s failure to live up to peace agreement and anti-American 20:53  |  David 26/12/07
      64.   #51 Steve -- Well, Mubarak has a choice, then, doesn`t he? 20:55  |  Dr. L. Brnd 26/12/07
      65.   EGYPT AND SOME NEED FOR TREATMENT 20:57  |  Robert 26/12/07
      66.   USA stole entire nation (Indian) with no endorsement 21:14  |  Brian 26/12/07
      67.   The Egyptians and the Gazans are one and the same people 21:51  |  AliciaYasmeen 26/12/07
      68.   65. watcvh what you wish for rawbutt..w/o US welfare 22:33  |  observer 26/12/07
      69.   Fake Clickfool # 1, and my problems with the Censor 23:23  |  Clickfool 26/12/07
      70.   #61, Dan... 23:23  |  Silvienne 26/12/07
      71.   proud joo_ Glad You Approve 00:53  |  Eli 27/12/07
      72.   Fake Clickfool # 67 01:18  |  Clickfool 27/12/07
      73.   look behind you--it`s a JEW! 03:18  |  Mark Katzman 27/12/07
      74.   OF COURSE Egypt is worried,evidence of complicity is presented 03:23  |  PETER SM 27/12/07
      75.   #58 Silvienne - Haven`t you heard 04:39  |  * BEN JABO 27/12/07
      76.   Of course Egypt is complicit 04:41  |  * BEN JABO 27/12/07
      77.   #64, Dr. Brand, you are right 04:53  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/12/07
      78.   #13 Mr.Teich 05:00  |  old dog 27/12/07
      79.   Jews always lie to US about Egypt 05:32  |  Yaakov Sullivan 27/12/07
      80.   #59 Jody 05:38  |  Yaakov Sullivan