EGYPT/ GAZA: EYPTIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF VISITS YASSER ARAFAT / PALESTINIANS WELCOME EGYPTIAN HELP ABOUT GAZA SECURITY

Record ID: 402170

  • Title: EGYPT/ GAZA: EYPTIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF VISITS YASSER ARAFAT / PALESTINIANS WELCOME EGYPTIAN HELP ABOUT GAZA SECURITY
  • Date: 23rd June 2004
  • Summary: (W4) RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (JUNE 23, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF EXTERIOR PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT'S HEADQUARTERS WITH CARS OF EGYPTIAN DELEGATION ARRIVING 0.06 2. VARIOUS OF INTELLIGENCE CHIEF OMAR SULEIMAN AND EGYPTIAN DELEGATION CONVOY BEING GREETED AND WALKING INTO BUILDING 0.31 4. VARIOUS OF MEETING WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK, RAFAH, GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVACYFFQHHCRIZR7YPEIEE35E1YV
  • Story Text: Following a meeting with Egyptian intelligence
    chief, Palestinian leaders welcome Egyptian efforts to
    support security on the Gaza strip.




    Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman travelled to
    the West Bank city of Ramallah Wednesday (June 23) to hold
    key talks with Palestinian leaders, to discuss Egypt's role
    in smoothing Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip. Egypt
    has offered to help train Palestinian security forces to
    fill a vacuum in Gaza once Israel removes Jewish
    settlements and troops from occupied land.

    In the closed door meeting, Sulieman was expected to try
    and get President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed
    Qurie to pledge to reform Palestinian forces, in return
    sealing Egypt's role in helping with security in Gaza.

    At a press conference after the meeting, Palestinian
    president Yasser Arafat publicly welcomed the Egyptian
    effort to support and supply aid to rebuild destroyed
    infrastructure and security in the Gaza strip following
    Israel's withdrawal. He also said that an Israeli
    withdrawal as part of the road map, should also include a
    withdrawal of the West Bank.

    The Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurie said, "The
    visit today was aimed at exchanging ideas with us on how to
    make the security reforms, and how to activate the Egyptian
    role. The Egyptian role is based on giving support to a
    Palestinian national dialogue, to break the deadlock in the
    peace process by trying to set up contacts with the
    Israelis and a meeting with Sharon and to unite the
    Palestinian security forces. We are moving in that
    direction and we will be doing just that in the next two
    months,".

    Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman was also due to urge
    Israel to stop raids into the Gaza Strip, to safeguard a
    possible Egyptian presence, and to allow in some
    international forces.

    Suleiman left Ramallah for Jerusalem to meet with
    Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Defence
    Minister Shaul Mofaz.

    An Egyptian role in the Gaza Strip could help prevent a
    collapse into factional anarchy or an Islamist takeover if
    Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to
    withdraw settlers from the occupied territory goes ahead.

    Egypt, which lost Gaza to Israel in the 1967 Middle
    East war, has said it could send up to 200 trainers to Gaza
    if it has agreement from the Palestinian Authority and
    factions and if Israel agrees to a ceasefire.

    Palestinian officials said Suleiman would demand
    evidence from Arafat at his besieged headquarters in
    Ramallah that he was ready to unify at least 12 Palestinian
    security forces and cut the number to just three.

    They also said Arafat would need to agree to cede
    security powers to Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie.

    In a sign that the Palestinian Authority was willing to
    make the Egyptian proposal work, officials announced on
    Tuesday that a single control room was being set up, to
    oversee the various security bodies. However, the
    appointment of an Arafat loyalist, Major-General
    Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh, as head of security made clear
    that the veteran Palestinian leader, Arafat, would keep
    his hands firmly on the reins.

    Putting a cloud over Suleiman's meeting was a statement
    from 10 Palestinian factions this week opposing an Egyptian
    presence in Gaza.

    Israeli officials said they wanted to know what message
    Suleiman had been given by Arafat. Israel is wary of
    reports that the Egyptians would like international forces
    stationed in parts of Gaza.

    Having ruled out negotiations with the Palestinians for
    now, Sharon is keen to present the U.S.-backed pullout as a
    unilateral move.

    The plan to remove all 21 settlements from the Gaza
    Strip and four of 120 from the West Bank won cabinet
    approval in principle this month, but the removal of Jewish
    enclaves still needs another vote in March.

    Palestinians fear they will only get Gaza at the
    expense of a firmer Israeli hold on parts of the West Bank,
    where they also want a state.



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