U.S. Seeks to Reduce Military Presence in Sinai, Pentagon
Additional
reporting by Hany Mohammad, IOL Staff
WASHINGTON,
Aug 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States plans to
reduce its presence in the international observer force in the Sinai,
according to a top Pentagon official. Meanwhile, Egyptian military
analysts Saturday, August 3, 2002, played down the role of such U.S.
forces.
The
U.S. officials on Thursday, August 1, held talks with Israeli and
Egyptian leaders.
The
three delegations talked about how much money the United States might
continue to contribute to the force. It is now $51 million and shared
equally by Israel, Egypt and the United States, though some other
countries have made contributions in some years.
The
force patrols and operates checkpoints in the huge triangle of desert,
jutting into the Red Sea, that Egypt lost to Israel in the 1967
Mideast War and regained in its U.S.-brokered 1979 peace treaty with
Israel. The multinational force patrols are meant as monitors to
ensure both sides that the peace is being observed
The
three nations discussed the best way to improve the effectiveness of
the two-decade-old observer force, while allowing the United States to
reduce its participation, the under secretary of defense for policy,
Douglas Feith, told reporters, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Currently,
there are some 850 U.S. troops in the 1,900-member, 11-nation force.
It
is part of a larger effort to make sure U.S. forces are being used
most efficiently around the world, especially considering new burdens
placed on troops by the war on terror, Feith said, The Washington Post
reported.
"The
urgency of this reexamination of our role . . . around the world, and
in the Sinai in particular, obviously increased a great deal as the
result of the September 11th attack and our involvement in the war on
terrorism," he said.
Feith
declined to comment on reports of a reduction in the U.S. presence to
fewer than 100 troops, but said that consultations were underway
regarding an increase in other nations' participation.
"We
are not talking about ending the U.S. participation," he said,
stressing that Washington would remain "strongly committed"
to the force, created in 1982 as part of the Camp David accords under
which Israel returned the Sinai
to Egypt.
U.S.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in recent months expressed a desire
to reduce the U.S. presence in the Sinai,
with the exception of a small, largely symbolic contingent, noting
that the troops could be better employed elsewhere.
Meanwhile,
Egyptian Strategy expert General Tala’t Mossalam, speaking to
IslamOnline Saturday, played down the role of U.S. troops in Sinai on
the military level. He described the U.S. justification for the
reduction demand as “comical”.
“However,
these troops have a political role. The U.S. demand, in this regard
represents some kind of pressure on the Egyptian leadership regarding
some issues, such as striking Iraq or the situation in Palestine,”
Mossalam said.
He
added that the Egyptian side accepted the matter, citing the Egyptian
officials’ statements to the effect that they understand the U.S.
demand.
“The
U.S. will go ahead with its plans, with or without Egypt’s consent.
So, Egypt can get score some points as well,” he added.
|
|
|
US Seeks To Split Sudan: Egyptian Press
Iraq's UN Inspectors Offer Came Under Russian Pressure
New Turkish Chief Of Staff Amid Threat of
U.S. Strike On Iraq
Investors Remain Shaky Despite Assurances From U.S. Officials
Deadly West Nile Virus Threatens U.S. As Four People Die, 88 Infected
New Online Payment Solution Avoids Riba, Enhances E-Commerce
360 Killed, 320 Missing In Wartorn Chechnya Since January
India’s Politicians Close Ranks To Derail Poll Reforms
Nawaz Sharif Nominates His Brother As Successor
U.S. Seeks to Reduce Military Presence in Sinai, Pentagon
Report: Ex-Costa Rican Leader Likens Israel to South African Apartheid
Thousands Rally In Indonesia for Islamic Law
Saudi, Iran Repeat
Opposition to U.S. Strike on Iraq
Remains in Srebrenica Grave Hit 207, New Mass Ground Found
UN Building in Southern Afghanistan Under Attack
Clinton: I’d Get In a Ditch, Grab A Rifle And Die For Israel
U.S.-ASEAN Anti-Terrorism Pact May Threaten Human Rights: Watchdog
Turkey Passes Taboo-Breaking Reforms to Come Closer to EU
U.S. Senate
Passes Defense Appropriations Budget
U.S. Federal Judge Says Names of Sept. 11 Detainees Must Be Released
Nablus Standstill As Israeli Army Collectively Punish Residents
Canadian Terror Suspect Extradited to United States
Russia, France Welcome Iraqi Move, Britain, U.S. Skeptical
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
