Egypt will resist any fresh attempts by the Palestinians to breach its border with Gaza, warned a presidential spokesman Sunday blaming the Palestinians, Israel and the European Union for last month's crisis on its frontiers with Gaza.
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| Witnesses: Egypt begins closing breached Gaza border / Reuters |
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(VIDEO) Egyptian forces bring barbed wire, metal barricades to only remaining gap in Egyptian side of border which was breached by Hamas Islamists last month; Palestinians allowed to return to their homes |
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Suleiman Awwad, a spokesman for President Hosni Mubarak said Egypt allowed the Palestinians to cross the border because of their "humanitarian sufferings" and the breaching of the frontier was a "reaction against the Israeli siege," he told reporters after a meeting between the president and the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
"That will not happen again, never," Awwad said. "Egypt is a respected state, its border cannot be breached and its soldiers should not be lobbed with stones," he said.
On Sunday Egyptian troops closed the last gap in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip, ending 11 days of free movement for Palestinian residents of the blockaded territory.
Solana is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian and Arab League's officials on the Gaza border crisis and Awwad called on the EU to work with Israel and the Palestinians to resolve the dispute.
"The Palestinians' sufferings cannot continue, the Israeli practices cannot continue, the ball is now in the court of the EU and Hamas," said Awwad. After his talks with the Arab League chief Amr Moussa, Solana said the EU is ready to resume its role on the crossing. "We are ready to continue work in case, there is an agreement," said Solana.
Solana is leaving later in the day to Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
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