Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said on Tuesday that he does not appose discussing the Israeli-Egyptian agreement of deploying Egyptian forces on the Philadelphi Route, and added that “he only trusts the Israeli army is protecting the bordersâ€Â.
“The reason behind deploying Egyptian troops is to ensure that no weapons are smuggled from Egypt to Gaza, they will not be there to provide Israel with security, also the deployment of small numbers of Egyptian troops along the route is an important issueâ€Â, Sharon said.
Sharon added that when it comes to Israel’s security, he only trusts the Israeli army and the military establishment.
“I made this issue very clear to the US State Department, there will never be any concessions within Israel’s bordersâ€Â, Sharon added.
The statements of Sharon came following his meeting with the Israeli president Moshe Katzav after informing him of the latest developments, before heading to a meeting with the security-ministerial committee in charge of discussing the issue of border crossings between Israel, P.A and Egypt.
Sharon decided to submit the agreement on the deployment of Egyptian troops along the Philadelphi Route, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, to the Knesset, despite the fact that the Israeli General Menachem Mazuz decided that the law does not require to be approved by the Knesset.
Also, Sharon rejected to announce the date when the Gaza Strip will be closed for the Israelis in preparation for disengagement, and added that this issue is still under discussion with the Israeli security.
Referring to the Israeli-European cooperation, Sharon said that there is a strong network between Israeli and the EU, and several countries around the globe, and that he office is in continuous contact with several leaders.
