Egypt rejects U.S. offer to deploy int'l force on border with Gaza

[bemildred]

As tension mounted in the Gaza Strip, top Egyptian and U.S. intelligence
officials met Wednesday to work out possible solutions for policing its
border with Egypt which is suspected to be used by Hamas militants to
smuggle weapons, officials and diplomats said Wednesday.

Egyptian officials said Egypt turned down American proposals to station
international forces led by the U.S. along the border, but promised to boost
their own efforts to monitor the border and crack down on traffickers.

"This is not accepted by the government, nor by public opinion,"
said one Egyptian official who is involved in the border security operation.

U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte concluded talks
Wednesday with his Egyptian counterpart, Omar Suleiman, who has also been
working on a deal to coax the Palestinian radical group to moderate its
policies and join Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' peace
efforts.

IMRA