WASHINGTON (AFP) ― U.S, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Egypt to keep open communication with Israel after the new Cairo government deployed forces to the Sinai Peninsula, the State Department said Thursday.
Clinton on Wednesday spoke by telephone to Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr as unease grew in Israel over President Mohamed Morsi’s deployment of troops in the Sinai, which was demilitarized under a 1979 peace treaty.
“This call was in keeping with a series of contacts that we’ve had in recent days with both Egyptians and Israelis encouraging both sides to keep the lines of communication open between them, to talk directly about any issues of concern,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
Clinton encouraged a policy that “first and foremost strengthens Egypt’s security but also has a positive impact on the security of neighbors in the region as a whole,” Nuland said.
Egypt sent troops into the Sinai to clamp down on Islamist guerrillas who killed 16 border guards on Aug. 5. Morsi has since exerted control over the powerful military, dismissing top officials including the defense minister.
