Clinton urges Egypt, Israel to talk on Sinai

Clinton spoke with Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr on Wednesday and stressed the importance of acting transparently as Cairo deploys aircraft and tanks in Sinai, for the first time since a 1973 war with Israel, to pursue Islamist militants blamed for killing 16 border guards in an Aug. 5 attack.

"This call was in keeping with a series of contacts we've had in recent days with both Egyptians and Israelis encouraging both sides to keep the lines of communication open," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Israeli officials have expressed concern over the Egyptian deployment, saying the vehicles' entry into the Sinai was not coordinated and was in violation of a 1979 peace treaty.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has not lodged a formal protest, preferring to try and resolve the issue in quiet contacts including US mediation to avoid worsening ties with Cairo, already strained since Hosni Mubarak was toppled by a popular revolt last year.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=514055