| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israeli delegation arrives in Egypt for Gaza talks |
| 2009-01-09 |
| (Xinhua) -- An Israeli delegation led by a senior official arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian mediators on a ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli team, led by head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad, arrived here in the morning, said the Egyptian MENA news agency. The talks between the Israeli delegation and Egyptian officials will focus on the initiative offered Tuesday by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a bid to put an end to the Israeli attacks on Gaza and reach a ceasefire. The talks will "discuss the main details and how to implement it," said MENA. On Tuesday, Mubarak presented a three-point proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during talks with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The Egyptian proposal calls on Israel and the Palestinian groups to accept an immediate ceasefire for a limited period to allow for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and give Egypt time to continue its efforts to help reach a lasting truce. Egypt would invite both Israel and the Palestinians for talks that focus on the issues of border security, reopening the crossing points and lifting the blockade to avoid repetition of the current escalation. Egypt would also invite Palestinian factions for the resumption of their reconciliation talks. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said that it is a positive step to conduct talks with Egypt over the ceasefire proposal. |
| Posted by:Fred |