About Us

IMRA
IMRA
IMRA

 

Subscribe

Search


...................................................................................................................................................


Thursday, April 24, 2014
Excerpts: Egypt claims 'complete control over Sinai Peninsula. Jordan,Palestine sign 8 agreements April 24, 2014

Excerpts: Egypt claims 'complete control over Sinai Peninsula.
Jordan,Palestine sign 8 agreements April 24, 2014

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 24 April ’14:”Egypt army says has ‘complete
control’ over Sinai Peninsula”, Reuters, Cairo
SUBJECT: Egypt claims ‘complete control’ over Sinai Peninsula

FULL TEXTEgypt’s military said on Thursday[24 April ’14] it had gained
“complete control over the situation” in the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamist
insurgents have been carrying out attacks against security forces for
several months.

Violence has spiraled in the Sinai since last July when the army toppled
President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, prompting militants who
had previously focused on attacks against neighboring Israel to turn their
attention to Egyptian police and military targets.

“There is obvious stability in Sinai despite rumors that there are still
terrorist elements and tunnels in north Sinai,” said Major General Mohamed
al-Shahat, who heads Egyptian forces in the peninsula, in comments carried
by state news agency MENA.

A recent Reuters investigation found that a few hundred militants - a mix of
Egyptian Islamists, foreign fighters and disgruntled youth - are
successfully playing a cat-and-mouse game with Egypt's army and are nowhere
near defeat.

Days after the report was published, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who
has since resigned his post to run for president, removed the top military
official in the Sinai and appointed Shahat to replace him.

Sisi, who ousted Mursi in July following protests against his rule, is
widely expected to win presidential elections scheduled for May 26-27.

Shahat spoke to reporters on the 32nd anniversary of the final Israeli
withdrawal from the Sinai, which its forces had invaded in 1956 after Egypt
nationalized the Suez Canal.

He said the army had destroyed more than 1,500 tunnels that ran under the
frontier between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which borders North Sinai, in an
attempt to stop the illegal flow of arms.

The Sinai is a largely lawless 61,000 sq km (24,000 sq mile) area wedged
between the Suez Canal to the west and Israel and Gaza to the east.

Militant attacks in Sinai, Cairo and other cities since July have killed
around 500 people, mostly policemen and soldiers, according to the
government.



+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 24 April ’14;”Jordan,Palestine sign 8 cooperation
agreements”
SUBJECT: Jordan, Palestine sign 8 agreements

FULL TEXT: AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Wednesday[23April]
reiterated Jordan’s support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian
people, foremost of which the establishment of an independent state.

During a meeting in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
Ensour also voiced the Kingdom’s keenness on furthering cooperation with
Palestine in all fields.

Abbas briefed Ensour on the latest political developments concerning the
US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.The Palestinian president
also said that more openness with Arab and Islamic nations, mainly Jordan,
is a priority for Palestinians in the next stage.The two sides stressed the
vital role of the private sectors in exploring prospects for further
cooperation between the two countries.

Also on Wednesday[23 April], Ensour co-chaired the meetings of the fourth
session of the Joint Jordanian-Palestinian Higher Committee with his
Palestinian counterpart Rami Hamdallah, which concluded with signing eight
agreements, memoranda of understanding and executive programmes in the
fields of industry, protection of national products, agriculture, health,
civil defence and meteorology.

In the presence of Abbas, Ensour and Hamdallah signed the minutes of the
meetings before they held a joint press conference.

Ensour stressed, in his remarks to the press, on the efforts His Majesty
King Abdullah exerts to promote and garner international support for the
Palestinian cause, noting that a significant part of His Majesty’s
international contacts, speeches and discussions are dedicated to this
cause.

“Our visit to Palestine sends an unmistakable signal that we support you and
every effort that would ensure Palestinians a normal life,” the premier told
the Palestinian officials.

He said that deals signed Wednesday[23 April] serve that purpose.

On a different note, Ensour urged the Palestinian Authority, “which is the
legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people”, to take moves
towards national concord and called on other Palestinian factions to “join
the PA as it crosses this threshold”.

He criticised the Israeli siege of Palestinian land, in Gaza and the West
Bank, as a violation to international law and humanitarian principles.

He said that the agreements signed between the two sides would be followed
by others, which are in the pipeline.



Jerusalem



In response to a question, Ensour stressed that Jordan recognises
Palestinians sovereignty over “every square millimetre” in East Jerusalem,
including Al Haram Al Sharif compound, which is under the custodianship of
Jordan according to an agreement the King signed with Abbas last year,
renewing a role the Kingdom has assumed since 1923.

The administration of the holy Muslim sites in the Old City is also
stipulated in the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty.

“Jordan does not compete with the Palestinians for sovereignty over East
Jerusalem,” he said, asserting that the Hashemite custodianship of the
Islamic third holiest shrine and other sacred sites in the occupied city
will stay “and be passed over from a generation to another”.



Peace process



Ensour reiterated that Jordan is constantly kept abreast of developments in
the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, indicating that Amman and Ramallah are
keeping channels open for consultations, while Jordan and the US are also
coordinating regarding the peace process.

He voiced regret that the negotiators would not reach a peace agreement
before the April 29 deadline, according to a schedule set by US Secretary of
State John Kerry.


=========================================================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

Search For An Article

....................................................................................................

Contact Us

POB 982 Kfar Sava
Tel 972-9-7604719
Fax 972-3-7255730
email:imra@netvision.net.il IMRA is now also on Twitter
http://twitter.com/IMRA_UPDATES

image004.jpg (8687 bytes)