Egypt has denied signing any security agreements with Israel to control the border and prevent smuggling of arms into Gaza Strip. The Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Dr. Mufid Shihab on Sunday said in Cairo that Egypt is fully aware of its responsibility toward its people including protection of its land and the security of its borders.
According to APA, he noted in his reply to queries of a number of deputies in the parliament on Sunday that Egypt does not accept any selling out of its sovereignty on the borders. Shihab noted that Egypt did not sign any agreement with Israel in this regard and cannot conclude such an agreement with any country without submitting it to the parliament. He added that the United Nations Charter does not recognize any secret agreements, and Egypt did not violate this obligation at any time.
According to him, Egypt had nothing to do with the security agreement between Israel and the United States of America, which was signed before the cease-fire, to prevent arms from reaching the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Egypt was praised by Israel for cooperating in its efforts to stop arms from reaching Gaza. "There is an accumulation of weapons and equipment meant for Hamas in Sinai, but Egypt is preventing it from getting into the Strip," Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak said during a Sunday cabinet security briefing.
"We have created an effective diplomatic mechanism to stop smuggling by harnessing Egypt, the US and the European Union's support,” he added.
