Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak during talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday hailed Cairo's attempts to stem weapons smuggling into the Hams-run Gaza Strip. Barak praised Egyptian efforts along the border which "have visibly been effective," said a statement from the Israeli defence ministry after the talks in Alexandria.
But, according to AFP, Barak also said that "more effort should be put in order to further reduce" weapons smuggling into the Strip.
On his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, who attended the meeting, said Mubarak had asked for "more cooperation in improving the (humanitarian) situation especially as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, an important event for Muslims," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
