French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday ordered a frigate deployed immediately to the waters off Gaza in an effort to fight arms smuggling and consolidate a fragile cease-fire.
| Letter to Olmert |
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| European leaders to help stop Gaza smuggling / Roni Sofer |
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Heads of France, Germany, Italy and UK send letter to Olmert, expressing willingness to offer naval resources to help stop arms trafficking into Gaza. Also say will provide aid to Gaza, willing to monitor crossings |
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A statement by Sarkozy's office said he is asking that a helicopter-carrier be sent to international waters off Gaza "in full cooperation with Egypt and Israel."
He ordered Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to immediately "coordinate closely" with the United States and Europe to propose other ways to fight arms smuggling on land and at sea.
With a fragile cease-fire in place and Israeli forces now out of Gaza, "the urgency now is to consolidate the cease-fire through humanitarian action, a total end of arms trafficking to Gaza, the reopening of passages, reconstruction and inter-Palestinian reconciliation," the statement said.
It added that France's actions "must be matched by a total and permanent reopening of the border crossings to Gaza. That is why the president reiterated his call for a rapid re-activation of the Rafah checkpoint, under European control in which France will take part fully."
Sarkozy traveled twice to the region to help put together a cease-fire in an initiative with Egypt between Israel and Hamas.
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